Winter of the Willows
by ForeverFalling86
Summary: A disturbance is detected in the world of the living and when sent to investigate Hitsugaya is once again dragged into the wizarding world and finds himself enlisted to fight a war that is not his own. This time the Dementors are the least of his problems
1. The Stuff of Legends

A/N: Hey everyone! How have you been? Good I hope! Well welcome to chapter one of The Winter of the Willows!

**So I just want to thank everyone who reviewed for The Dead of Winter and hm…I think that's it…well I've got that On Silent Wings one-shot for Bleach out now if you want to check that out. I'm actually **_**really**_** happy with it which is rare…**

* * *

It was with a yawn that Toshiro greeted the day. And like any other day, it was filled with an abundance of three things: Paperwork, Matsumoto, and tea. Because as everyone in Soul Society knew, paperwork and Matsumoto in no way went hand in hand, which resulted in much yelling on the small taicho's part. Which meant tea.

Lots and _lots_ of tea.

And it was over a cup of the wondrous, throat soothing liquid that he received orders to appear in front of the Soutaicho in the form of a Hell Butterfly.

With a sigh the taicho set his half finished cup down next to the silver picture frame that adorned his desk. He pulled on his haori that he'd tossed onto the back of his chair as he slipped from the otherwise empty room. He then ducked into the next room down the hall, sighing as he did at what he saw.

With a vicious poke to the ribs Matsumoto woke with a start, springing awake from her place on a spare couch she'd somehow managed to -not so- secretly sneak in a few months prior.

"I've been called for a meeting; you're in charge while I'm gone."

"Y-yes taicho," she yawned as she settled back into her spot.

"Matsumoto," he growled as he poked her again. "Matsumoto!"

The woman continued to ignore him much to the young Shinigami's ire. He growled as he grabbed her ankle and gave it a sharp tug, sending her cascading to the floor with a yelp.

"Get in there now," he snapped. "You're still in trouble!"

His lieutenant nodded reluctantly as she stood, brushing off her robes as she did.

It'd been a little over year since what the Tenth Division now referred to as the 'Kuchiki Incident'. It was taboo to speak of, but word had spread behind gossiping hands and in bars over sake during the late summer nights, until it seemed that everyone knew of it. And those few who didn't were doomed to forever live in the dark on the matter.

It was the stuff of legends…the kind of legends that would get you a one way trip to the fourth division if spoken about within hearing range of any sixth division officer, but a legend none the less.

Matsumoto was single-handedly responsible for the break down in not only cooperation, but long standing tolerance between the sixth and tenth divisions. And more that she had earned herself eternal infamy.

With one last calculating glance in the woman's direction Toshiro took off towards the first division, waving off officers along with way. He managed to spot his latest third seat from within the shuffle of people and easily caught his attention.

"I'm heading out; I'll be back soon but keep an eye on her while I'm gone."

There was no need for further explanation and the taicho slipped away before the man could manage to salute in response. He was easily the best third seat that the division had managed to get its hands on out of the last dozen. Apparently he'd grown up with a sister quite similar to Matsumoto. The previous experience was serving him well seeing as he had easily survived the past eleven months.

Hitsugaya noticed several people from within the crowd of Shinigami sending stricken glances in his direction as he left vaguely wondering what could possibly be wrong.

* * *

A man huffed as he turned to his friend, "If he gets sent on a mission we're so _screwed_."

The other nodded as he wiped some sweat from his brow. "I know, the forecast says we're in for another damn heat wave."

The hallway's occupant's groaned.

* * *

When Toshiro finally made it to the first division he was rather surprised to find not only the Soutaicho waiting for him but Ukitake along with Kurotsuchi.

"Is…there a problem?" he asked at the odd looks on their faces.

The room was silent for a moment before Kurotsuchi spoke up, "We've detected a disturbance."

The younger taicho nodded. "And, to be blunt, why is this of any concern to me?"

The scientist looked to the Soutaicho who nodded for him to continue.

"It's coming from England."

Toshiro's brow furrowed at the man's words

"We picked it up on the scanners a few weeks ago only to have it disappear. It's been appearing and vanishing rapidly sense then to a point where we couldn't properly pinpoint its location. However, late last night we were able to verify its position."

The white faced Shinigami looked down at a computer print out clutched in his hand.

"A place called Little Whinging, Surrey," he said as he grumbled at the foreign names.

Hitsugaya tensed, the words seeming to ring a bell in his head.

Ukitake seemed to pick up on this as he stared down at the smaller Shinigami. "Do you know of it?"

"I'm…unsure," the boy muttered.

"Speak up Hitsugaya-kun," the Soutaicho said, finally saying something.

"I believe," he started hesitantly "that I may know what the source of the disturbance is. There is a living wizard who resides in that town; it could possibly be the ma—

"Don't tell me you're actually considering that _magic_ is the source of the ping," Mayuri practically spat.

"It blocked all transmissions from Hogwarts. If it were localized in a smaller area such as a single household or neighbourhood— the size of a single human in fact; the computers wouldn't be able to track the blank as easily from this distance. It would appear erratic would it not?" he challenged.

"And with the magical particles in the air fluctuating because the subject is around normal humans, the computers would only be further impaired!"

Kurotsuchi twitched before turning to the Soutaicho, the heated red of his face almost shining through his makeup.

"You're not going to believe this drivel are you?! The pure disrespect in his tone! My computers are perfect!"

Yamamoto stared at the flustered man. "Calm yourself Mayuri. Hitsugaya-kun knows more about this magic that has sprung up in the West than those who have simply read his reports."

When the scientist looked to only be further enraged he continued, "That is not to say that your own research into the subject hasn't been substantial. But first hand experience is always better don't you agree?"

And the man grudgingly did, glaring all the while at the smaller taicho.

Ukitake gave the boy an encouraging smile. "Well, just what do you think to be the cause of this disturbance?"

Hitsugaya thought it over for a moment before nodding.

"I believe it to be a boy; teenager rather. By the name of Harry Potter."

* * *

Dear Readers,

It's been a _bad_ week. I'm so glad it's finally over. Anyway, a new story. Clichés will be spat upon with extreme prejudice, and romance shall be tossed to the curb. Because let's face it, if I write romance, you'll cry, I'll cry, we'll all cry over its absolute horridness. Thanks for reading and please don't forget to review!

ForeverFalling.


	2. The Mad Scientist

A/N: Hey everyone! How have you been? Good I hope! Thanks to all those who reviewed, I'm mean _seriously_. It made my day to read them all.

_

* * *

_

_Hitsugaya thought it over for a moment before nodding. _

"_I believe it to be a boy; teenager rather. By the name of Harry Potter."_

_

* * *

_

The Soutaicho quirked an eyebrow. "You know this child?"

"Yes, if the disturbance is indeed being caused by him. He revealed to me that he spent the summers in a small town called Little Whinging. I can't be positive if there is more than one town by that name. But it seems too large of a coincidence in my opinion."

The elder nodded. "Yes, quite a coincidence indeed." He stroked his beard for a moment before nodding. "Is he dangerous?"

Hitsugaya hesitated for a moment before answering, "Not particularly. The other wizards who he tends to keep company with could pose a problem but the boy himself would not."

"Well, we should send someone to investigate," Ukitake spoke up looking rather concerned. "From what I know, Harry Potter is rather exceptional based on the standards for a magical being his age."

"You know of this child as well?" Yamamoto asked his student.

"Yes, while I was in the vicinity of Hogwarts I had the pleasure of meeting his Godfather, someone appointed by the parents of a child in Western culture to watch over it should something happen to them; and he told me of the circumstances surrounding the boy. If he is blocking our systems, something could be wrong."

The old man remained silent for a moment before asking, "And how does this pertain to Soul Society?"

"If there's a being out there with ability to block my systems I want him found and eliminated!" Mayuri screeched as he clutched at the paper in his hands until his nails pierced it.

"Calm yourself," Yamamoto sighed "I believe a few unseated officers should be sufficient."

"Please," Hitsugaya interrupted. "Send me."

The old man gave him a questioning look. "And why should I send a taicho, to deal with someone you yourself deemed insignificant."

"I've had contact with him," the boy explained. "He'll trust me. And I've always been proficient in gathering intelligence on anything that has been assigned to me."

"Are you sure this is not for…personal reasons?"

"I am positive," he answered flatly. "I'll bring a positioning device with me and if it malfunctions when I draw near, it will confirm our suspicions. He'll be more open to my questioning than anyone else's."

"He does have a point," Ukitake added, turning to look at his teacher.

"We have plenty of officers who are far more familiar with the area than this brat," Kurotsuchi hissed "There's no reason to send him _or_ any members of his squad."

"Toshiro's perfectly capable of a simple mission such as this," Ukitake argued back, rather defensive of the small boy.

"I know just as you do that he's_ capable_, but is it wise to send him when he's emotionally invested in this?!"

"I have no emotional investment in this at all," Hitsugaya called back, rather annoyed with the man's tone of voice.

"Oh really?" the man sneered "This boy that you're so quick to help and defend spent the better part of ten months in your presence if not under your protection. And you claim you have no emotional stake in this? Don't make me laugh! Someone from my division should be sent."

Toshiro took a step towards the man his eyes burning with rage but his voice flat, "I won't have you taking that tone with me. The decision isn't up to you."

The three turned to look at Yamamoto who'd been watching them argue with a rather tired look on his worn face.

The Soutaicho sighed as they looked at him expectantly, "You have two days. I expect you to have answers by that time. If you fail, someone from Mayuri's squad will be sent."

Hitsugaya sent a smirk in the scientist's direction. "I won't fail. I'll leave immediately."

"Wait a moment Hitsugaya-taicho," the old man called as he turned to leave. "Mayuri must first give you the detector that you'll be using."

Kurotsuchi's hand twitched as if he wanted nothing more than to wrap his hands around the other Shinigami's pale neck. Eventually he gave in with a growl and dug into his robes to produce the small yellow detector.

"Break it and I'll have your head on a pike," he spat as he tossed the machine at the younger officer.

"I don't doubt it," Toshiro drawled as he caught it easily and tucked it away from later use.

He began making his way to the doors only to have Yamamoto call out to him before he reached it.

"If this does turn out to merely be an error, after you report in, I can grant you one day to linger in that town," he said kindly "Make good use of your time and catch up with your friend."

With another bow of thanks the small taicho slipped from the room.

* * *

When he stepped out of the senkaimon the extreme heat was almost enough to make him stagger. It might have been the height of summer but compared to Soul Society it was practically a sauna.

A small pack of toddlers being chased after by a woman in her twenties raced past him as he stepped out into the road to avoid being hit. He noticed, much to his relief that there was a water fountain near by and easily made his way over.

The small taicho sighed as he splashed the cool water onto his face before he tried in vain to roll up his sleeves. He vaguely began wondering what the people walking by were seeing. A water fountain turning on by its own will must have been an odd sight. He looked around and was rather happy to note that the park was almost deserted, save for the poor woman still chasing after the horde of toddlers who continued to elude her.

With a quick glance at the nearest street sign he determined that he was completely and utterly _lost_.

Little Whinging might have been a small town, but it was a town none the less. And one that he'd never been to before. Apparently whatever was interfering with their computers had messed up where the gate had appeared if the park he was standing in was any indication. He'd been hoping that he'd be sent right to where Potter was located but being in the general vicinity would just have to do.

One glance up at the sky told him that evening was almost upon the little town and a storm was rolling in from the north. He could feel the electricity in the air stirring as the winds blew through the tall trees.

The taicho pulled the detector from within his robes rather annoyed when he flipped it on only to find white snow playing across the screen. He slammed his hand against the side hoping for some sort of improvement only to be disappointed. A quick troubleshoot proved futile and before long he was pulling it apart to see if it was malfunctioning as he sat down on a nearby bench. When everything seemed to be in working order and yet clearly, it _wasn't_ he huffed in annoyance.

"Well," he sighed as he stared down at the device "This is useless."

He was tempted to just toss the thing but tucked it back into his robes in the end. Kurotsuchi was mad enough as it was and any loss of equipment would only serve to aggravate him further. Kuchiki was still a little sore about the…Incident. He didn't need another taicho hungering for retribution— the muffin basket he'd sent to the taicho had had little effect. Though apparently, the Bonsai tree was perched on his desk.

Toshiro raked a hand through his hair as he glanced around the area trying to sense out the magic Harry would naturally be emanating. There was a sudden prick in his senses and he turned to the east trying to determine what it was that he was feeling.

Teal eyes slipped closed as he concentrated and after a moment he realized that he could feel magic not too far off, accompanied by something… else. He frowned for a moment, wondering what it could possibly be. It seemed interwoven with the magic and yet…separate? Toshiro allowed his eyes to slide open as he hummed to himself.

With a Shunpo he began racing towards the feeling. Something was wrong, he decided. _Very_ wrong.

As he drew closer a familiar draining sensation began to take hold, robbing his limbs of any feeling. The Shinigami swore under his breath as he unsheathed Hyorinmaru and skidded around a darkened corner.

"Oh sh— he was cut off as he ducked to the side, avoiding being hit by a large Patronus that came barrelling down the alley, the light from it washing out his vision.

* * *

Harry swore quietly as he slunk to the ground, glancing back at his still shaking cousin as he did. He was so screwed.

He'd done underage magic. He'd be expelled from school for sure.

He gripped his wand with a trembling hand. Not sure if it was shaking from the after affects of the Dementors or the fear that was setting into his heart.

"–tter."

The teen scrambled to his feet, frantically looking around for any signs of a person or otherwise. The shadows around him seemed to close in and thicken before his eyes as the temperature once again began to drop.

"Lumos."

The spell illuminated the area but revealed no one to be there. A flicker of movement caught his eye and he lunged away from the spot, trying to distance himself from whatever it was.

"Harr—

The voice was cutting in and out as if it was coming from an old radio, just out of range from the signal tower.

"Oh God," he mumbled as he dashed over to his cousin. If he didn't go back home with Dudley there was no point going back at all.

"Who's there?" he called into the emptiness, trying to force his eyes to see what they clearly couldn't.

–spell."

"What do you want?" Harry yelled as he leaned down to grab Dudley but making sure to keep his wand poised at the same time.

"Cas—

"Bugger off!"

"Fool…cas—

Green eyes glanced back and forth as he ground his teeth. "Come out!"

When he received no answer he growled, "Lumos Maxima."

Harry staggered back, biting back a yell as the outline of a boy flickered into view before disappearing again. The teen thought over the broken words he'd heard for a moment, trying to figure out the garbled message.

"Cas…spell…cast a spell?" he asked nervously "You want me to cast a spell?"

The sound of metal tapping the pavement was the only response he received. He thought for a moment, hoping that that was a yes and decided that he'd need a spell that would last for some time.

"Avis!"

A small flock of bluebirds burst forth. The figure appeared dimly once again and as the birds drew closer to him he became more visible until he appeared almost solid in the half light.

"I'm sorry if I startled you Potter," the figure said as the small birds sung and danced around him in the air.

Harry squinted through the cool darkness that now surrounded them trying to recall where he'd heard that voice before. A chuckle met his ears and suddenly the voice was unmistakable.

Toshiro Hitsugaya smirked as he fingered his katana, "Though, to be fair, your Patronus almost ran me over."

* * *

Dear Readers,

Short I know, but I wanted to end it there. The chapters will start out shorter just like in Winter and then get longer. Next chapter will probably be a lot longer. You might notice that there's not much of an intro to this story unlike its prequel. Well, I wanted it to be seamless because while to the HP characters it's been over a year, to Toshiro it'd probably feel like a few months. Because when you live for thousands of years a year in itself doesn't hold much weight. Thanks for reading,

ForeverFalling.


	3. Second Star to The Right

A/N: Hey everyone! How have you been? Good I hope! Thanks to all those who reviewed, it really makes my day to read them all.

**OVER 100 REVIEWS! **

**Wow. You're all so amazing! Seriously **_**amazing**_**. **

* * *

_Toshiro Hitsugaya smirked as he fingered his katana, "Though, to be fair, your Patronus almost ran me over." _

_

* * *

_

Harry stared for a moment at the boy who he hadn't seen since his third year.

"T-Toshiro?"

His ex-classmate nodded. "I suppose it's been a while."

He blinked uselessly, awestruck. "Yeah…you could say that. But I'm pretty sure I'm not dead. Pretty sure."

Teal eyes narrowed as a pale hand reached out to swat at the birds that continued to fly around his head.

"You're alive; I would think it was rather obvious. Now, correct me if I'm mistaken, but did you just perform underage magic?"

Harry nodded as he tried to get a better hold on Dudley.

"And, isn't that illegal? As is, results in your immediate expulsion illegal?"

The teen gave the boy a once over trying to get a good look in the darkened alley.

"You…uh, look that same." He noted as he stared down at his friend.

If there'd been a height difference back in third year there was a huge one now. In comparison to himself, Harry thought that Toshiro's obvious youth was even more blatant.

"Yes well, as you're aware I age differently than a living human." The boy said flatly.

And it was true, he _was _aware. But that didn't make it any less…odd. To think a mere _child_ had been so powerful way back when. And suddenly, Harry almost felt guilty for having dragged a kid into his own problems a year and a half ago even though they'd been around the same age at the time.

It was a swelling feeling in the pit of his stomach that pulsed along with the fear and hopelessness that had taken up residence in his heart. And Dumbledore…Dumbledore had _used_ a little boy. To protect an entire school no less; he'd been ready to sacrifice him in order to accomplish his own goals.

Toshiro sighed across from him as he sheathed his sword that must have been almost as tall as his body; something Harry had never picked up on during their third year.

"Are you going to stand there gawking like an utter _fool_ or are we going to take that lump you call a cousin back to your home?"

Harry stared into the dead boy's eyes that glowed in the twilight before he nodded hesitantly. "Just uh…give me a second."

He tried to shift Dudley into a better position only to hear Toshiro huff in annoyance.

"Give him to me."

"No, its fine," he protested not wanting to further burden the child who'd already done so much for him.

"You're more of a fool than I previously thought if you believe that I'm going to let you slow our pace because of your childish pride."

Harry grumbled but passed his cousin over none the less, a little astonished when Toshiro practically tossed him over his shoulder as if he weighted nothing.

As the boy walked down the alley looking as if he didn't truly give a rat's ass if he followed or not Harry stood still. For a moment Hitsugaya continued on before he turned around to glare at him with knowing eyes.

"It's become glaringly apparent to me from the look on your face these past few minutes that you seem to have forgotten some things about me. I have lived a little over eight of your lifetimes. If I so chose, I could snap your neck with my bare hand." He said plainly.

"Though I may look young I assure you it does not reflect on my strength and I promise you that should you continue to think of me as a child I'll be forced to prove to you just how un-child-like I can be."

Green eyes blinked uselessly in response before Harry finally managed to gather himself.

"Uh, y-yeah. Sorry, about that." He muttered as he caught up to the dead boy.

"Now," Hitsugaya started as he shifted Dudley's weight. "What's been going on?"

"A lot of stuff happened while you were gone Toshiro. A lot of _bad_ stuff."

White hair blew in the wind as he nodded. "You're different than you were before."

Harry looked at him sadly. "I think we all are."

---

Hitsugaya resisted the urge to gag as they made their way onto the dimly lit streets. Whatever he had sensed earlier was only getting worse as time wore on. It was thick in the air around them, clawing down his throat and into his lungs and yet clouding his head at the same time.

He could practically taste it. Over all, the feeling was extremely nauseating. The odour coming off of the teen thrown over his shoulder wasn't helping much either.

The taicho could make out the birds through the darkness beginning to fade, one by one disappearing into nothingness. It wouldn't be long before he was invisible to human eyes once again.

"HARRY!" a voice called from across the street, catching their attention.

Toshiro quickly passed the body he'd been carrying over to the teen and took a few steps back, the last of the birds vanishing as he did. The Shinigami heard Harry swear as he went to shove his wand into his pocket.

"Don't put it away you idiot boy! I could feel that thing from down the street! What if more come?" a batty old woman practically shrieked as her shoes clunked against the pavement.

"I'm going to _kill_ Mundungus Fletcher!"

Harry stared at her, rather confused and Toshiro frowned realizing he could sense the magic coming from the woman.

"What?"

"He left! Left to see someone about cauldrons or something! I told him I'd flay him alive if he went, and now look! Dementors!"

"Wait," Harry started "You're a _witch_?"

The woman once again began ranting and Toshiro decided that he'd had enough. Clearly, Harry was in safe-if not sane-hands for now. With a shunpo he made his way back to the park where he'd appeared, hoping to put some distance between the teen and his communications equipment.

The taicho stared down at the detector in his hand watching as the screen began to clear as the distance between it and Privet Drive increased. Well, apparently Harry _was_ causing the disturbance.

He tucked it away as he pulled out his communicator before pressing a few buttons hoping that someone would pick up. And as luck would have it someone did. The only problem being that it was Kurotsuchi.

"Well, well, well," the man drawled as he tapped his nails against the desk. "Calling so soon?"

Toshiro glared through the small screen. "Would you patch me through to Yamamoto?"

"Not even a please? My, how _bold_."

The younger Shinigami rolled his eyes. "Just put me through."

The man stared for a moment before nodding. "Fine, I see how it is. No time to speak with me."

Surprisingly the man actually sounded rather offended.

"Alright," Hitsugaya grumbled. "What would you like to speak about?"

Mayuri stared before huffing, "I'll patch you through. Insolent brat."

And with that the screen went blank for a moment before it flickered back to life with Yamamoto's image.

"Ah, Hitsugaya-taicho. I trust everything is going well?"

"Everything is fine," Toshiro answered flatly, vaguely wondering what had the man in such a good mood, "But I'm actually contacting you to request an extension on my time here."

A single eye cracked open. "Oh? And why would that be?"

"There seems to be something going on. The Dementors have attacked a living soul and I believe that there's more to this than Potter simply disturbing our computers with his magic."

"But he is actually the one causing the interference?" Soutaicho asked.

"From what I can tell that seems to be the case."

The elder man fell silent for a moment as he ran a hand over the grooves in his staff. "I'll extend your mission to a week. If something comes up or the mission changes contact me immediately and we'll discuss it from there."

"I understand."

A wrinkled hand reached out to push a button that wasn't in the frame and the picture cut out.

Toshiro sighed as he shoved the communicator into his robes. There really wasn't much for him to do other than go back to Harry's. If he was going to be expelled then surely someone from the school would be arriving to notify him rather shortly which meant it would be best to question him now.

Teal eyes locked on to the moon that was peaking out from behind a cloud. Hopefully he wouldn't be staying for too long.

---

When Hitsugaya arrived back at the street he'd left Harry in it was a simple enough matter to follow the magic through the air to a cookie cutter house with a pristine lawn.

The taicho stared down at the clean cut grass and then at the paved walkway that cut through it. With a final glance he walked over the lawn, the grass crunching beneath his feet, feeling a certain sense of satisfaction as he did.

He glanced up at the second story windows, trying to pin point which room Harry resided in. After a moment he chose the one to the left and easily forced himself into the air with barely a rustle.

The glass of the window was surprisingly cool against his skin as he peered into the room, trying to make out any figures in the darkness. A pale finger tapped the glass lightly, hoping not to disturb anyone else in the home. When he received no response he tapped again putting a bit more force behind it but still struggling to remain quiet.

After the third time the Shinigami gave up all together on tapping and instead smashed his knuckles against it, the sound echoing through the still air.

A figure shot up into his view range, a nervous looking Potter with his wand clutched in his hands. Toshiro tapped lightly wondering if Harry was at all familiar with Morse Code. The green eyed teen stuck his face against the glass as he looked through the window trying to find the source of the noise.

The taicho knocked on the glass that rested against the teen's forehead vaguely amused when he almost fell over with a yelp.

Toshiro sighed as he breathed against the glass allowing a light layer of frost to build up. With the scrape of his nail he carved a simple 'open the window' message, trying to grasp onto his knowledge of the written English language which he hadn't used in some time.

If anything Harry looked even more startled when he saw the message written on the glass. The Shinigami huffed as the boy backed away before he began scraping a simple 'it's me' under neither his previous message.

The wizard seemed to pause for a moment, before he cautiously began lifting the screen and sliding the window open.

"Toshiro?"

The white haired boy in question rolled his eyes as he waited for Harry to remember.

"Oh, right," the teen muttered before he stepped away from the window to allow the unseen Shinigami to crawl through.

"I'd cast another charm, but I'm in enough trouble as it."

Toshiro fixed his haori, making sure to brush the teen's bare arm with a cool hand as he walked by to let him know he understood.

The Boy Who Lived shivered at the contact but seemed grateful for the gesture. Teal eyes glanced around the room before falling on a pen set atop a rickety desk in the corner and a pad of paper.

He noticed the teen's eye twitch as he picked up the pen and began carefully scrawling his message.

_What happened?_

Potter leaned in to read it before flopping down onto his bed. "I'm expelled, pending a hearing. Mr. Weasley doesn't want me leaving the house. So, I'm stuck."

_Can you tell me exactly what happened? _

Harry sighed as he propped himself up on his elbows to look at the floating pad of paper and consequently, Toshiro.

"You've missed a lot in the past year. A lot of…really bad stuff happened. It started with this Tournament—

Toshiro swore to himself as he quickly flipped to a clean page on the pad of paper but by the time he'd grasped how to write his message properly in English and put the pen to the paper Harry was already enthralled with recanting his tale.

The taicho sighed, tossed aside the pen and paper and settled in against the wall. He'd only wanted to know about the damn Dementors. But, if he was going to be forced to listen to Harry's ramblings, he was going to be comfortable.

* * *

By the time Hitsugaya was completely caught up Harry was in full angst mode, the clock on the bedside table was reading two in the morning and he'd learned far too much about Cho Chang's 'silky black' hair for his liking.

There were many things he probably could have told Harry. Though, most would have only made him feel worse. Still, Toshiro thought to himself, it'd only been one comrade, not a particularly close one at that. A loss, but not a large one and it should have been easy enough to get over.

And it was in that moment that the young taicho realized that he'd seen far too much war in his lifetime. But Voldemort had returned and that in itself was a catastrophe. Dumbledore had said a war was coming and it seemed as if it was already upon the wizarding world.

He was pulled from his thoughts as Potter began to snore, leaving the Shinigami blinking in the darkness at a loss as to what he should do.

With a huff he rubbed his feet against the hardwood before pulling off his haori along with his sandals. He made sure Hyorinmaru was leaning against the wall as he folded his haori into a pillow and lying down.

Potter's hospitality really left something to be desired.

* * *

Toshiro sighed as he picked up a potato chip, carefully examining it before popping it into his mouth. A bit salty maybe, but quite good none the less. Now, if only he could have some tea.

The man on the television suddenly took a fall down the stairs followed by the sound of an annoying laughing track for about the third time in the half hour long program. The taicho glanced down at the remote sitting on the coffee table before grabbing it and switching to a local news program.

While Harry had been hauled up in his bedroom indefinitely Hitsugaya had taken to slipping out of the window and entering the house through the front door.

He spared the terrified Dudley a glance as he popped another chip into his awaiting mouth while the teen continued to babble insanely. After about two days of simply sitting and observing, he'd decided that frightening Dudley Dursley was much more enjoyable.

The taicho dropped the remote he'd been holding and pushed away the bowl of chips when the mother came in, fretting about her 'poor baby'.

"Ggggg-ost," the boy stuttered as he stared at where Toshiro was sitting on the couch next to him.

"Oh Dudders," the woman cooed as she brushed away his bangs. "It's alright. Mommy won't let the ghost hurt you."

Vernon Dursley came up behind his wife, a look of concern mixed with indigestion adorning his face.

"Is he _still_ blabbering on about ghosts?"

His wife glared. "He's been through a shock!"

The man rolled his eyes. "If he doesn't stop, we're going to have to…do something," he whispered as if worried the neighbours would hear him through the brick of the walls.

Petunia looked horrified. "You mean send him away?!"

"No," The man shot back. "Bring him to a doctor, discreetly. I won't have my son walking around claiming that he sees ghosts like some freak."

"It's—it's there dad! It's eating my chips and changing the station!"

Petunia murmured quietly to calm her son as her husband growled and left the room.

"Dudders, I'm going to call a nice man who might be able to help you, alright?" she asked as she brushed the crumbs from his shirt.

"Everything will be fine," she added as she straightened herself and left the room.

Toshiro leaned forward and grabbed another chip, watching amusedly as Dudley started babbling again while he ate it.

The taicho hummed as he dug out a pen from the couch cushions and grabbed the teen's arm. He wrote a simple message on the bare skin before he settled back in to watch the flashing screen of the television, taking some satisfaction as Dudley shrieked and took off running out of the room.

_Nice try. _

And thus, four days passed. Four days of tipping plates from counter tops and watching in amusement as Dudley was blamed. Four days of moving things, stealing food from grasping hands and writing small messages while the teen was alone, only to stop as soon as one of his parents entered a room.

A doctor had indeed been called and had talked to Dudley about how things made him 'feel' and making him look at ink blots as Toshiro stood behind the doctor quietly drinking his tea when he wasn't looking.

Needless to say Dudley had been prescribed several medications and future sessions had been scheduled.

But while this had been going on, Harry had been…stewing. To a point where he'd snap if Toshiro so much as rustled the drapes to announce his presence. As the teenage angst continued to ferment, something bothered the taicho.

The worrisome sensation he'd been feeling had yet to fade. Though, watching Dudley scream at a pitch that would seem impossible for a teen of his size was _quite_ the distraction. It was like a rolling nausea in the pit of his stomach. An unease that made him want to fidget-something he never did- and made it almost impossible to settle in at night.

So when one evening the Dursleys had gone out for one reason or another the taicho had decided to try and catch up on some rest on their rather comfortable couch. Annoying people they may be, but their taste for comfort was sublime— if not covered in a floral print. Their air conditioning was quite wonderful as well.

He was just beginning to doze off when an odd clatter of noises met his ears. They were similar to the sound of cracking bone which had him up and grabbing Hyorinmaru from his spot leaning against the arm chair.

He heard a muttered curse as someone tripped on the curb before the door rattled and burst open. The taicho ducked to the side out of sight before he realized that not only was the house pitch black, no light even coming in from the streetlights, but he was invisible to the human eye.

He unsheathed Hyorinmaru making sure the movement was silent. Two men slipped quietly into the house followed by what he thought to be the silhouette of a woman but through the darkness it was hard to tell. The Shinigami quietly made his way behind the nearest figure who as he neared he deduced to be a gruff man with a gravely voice.

The other two began making their way further into the house but the Gruff One stayed where he was as if sensing his follower. Toshiro hefted his Zanpakuto, ready should he be attacked as the man slowly turned uttering a quiet spell as he did.

Light burst forth from the tip of the wand that the man held and eyes widened as the taicho dimly appeared for a moment before vanishing again.

A spell was shot off into his general direction and Toshiro swore as he ducked to the side, his shoulder catching the wall as he did. The man turned at the bumping sound, another spell on his lips as the taicho slashed Hyorinmaru sending a cascade of ice at the man.

The Gruff One was caught off guard as cold suddenly enveloped his lower body, a gnarled hand reaching out to feel the invisible restraint.

"Ice?" he muttered as his eyes scanned the area, locking on to where Toshiro was standing before yelling a spell.

The others were rushing in from the kitchen a shattering noise echoing through the house in their wake.

"Moody?" the voice of a woman called as the taicho avoided the spell, damning the small entrance hall.

"What's going on?" another, more familiar voice called from the doorway as Toshiro lunged at the frozen wizard.

"Mr. Hitsugaya?"

The Shinigami froze as he looked at the figure framed by the door, teal eyes falling on Remus Lupin.

"Toshiro, is that you?" he asked rather tentatively as his eyes wandered the room.

"Remus?" A taller, dark skinned man asked from the door to the kitchen. "Who are you talking to?"

"I…think a former student," the werewolf muttered. "I can smell him in the air. Winter. Fresh fallen snow."

"Professor?" Harry called from the upstairs landing as he finally made an appearance, apparently roused by the encounter.

"What's going on?"

"Is Toshiro Hitsugaya here?"

"Yeah, he showed up the same night as the Dementor. He's been staying here with me."

The other adults looked rather confused as they scanned the room, searching out for the boy.

"Uh, Remus?" the woman asked "Where exactly _is_ he?"

"You've got to cast a spell, a long lasting one," Harry piped up "Otherwise he's invisible. He says there isn't enough magic in the air for him to be seen."

Lupin looked curious as he cast a spell, watching as Toshiro began to appear, birds once again fluttering around his head.

"It's good to see you again Mr. Hitsugaya."

The Shinigami nodded, but kept Hyorinmaru pointed towards the Gruff One as Harry flicked a switch, basking them all in the warm glow of the hall light.

"I must say…you haven't changed a bit."

"As you know, I don't age as humans do. Two years is hardly enough to change me."

The man nodded as he turned to the wizard who was still frozen, staring down at the ice that had appeared.

"Would you mind unfreezing him?"

"I'm afraid I can't."

"He won't attack you again," Lupin assured.

"The ice must melt on its own," the white haired boy explained as he watched the man continue to struggle before casting a simple melting charm.

"You _froze_ Professor Moody?" Harry whispered in quiet awe as he made his way down the stairs.

"I suppose so."

"Well," Lupin said as he clapped his hands together. "I suppose some introductions are in order. Everyone this is Toshiro Hitsugaya."

The dark skin man frowned, "Didn't I run into you in Hogwarts? You were in a bit of a rough state…a school project Dumbledore said."

Hitsugaya frowned as he thought back. "You may be correct."

"Wait," the woman who appeared to have bright pick hair started "Hitsugaya…isn't he the…dead one?"

"Yes," Remus nodded "That would be correct."

"Oh, well then," She laughed as she stepped forward, taking his free hand and shaking it roughly. "The name's Nymphodora Tonks. But call me Tonks. I've heard a lot about you."

The taicho nodded as she continued to beam down at him.

"But I had no idea you were such a sweetheart," she added as she ruffled his white locks. "The way those kids talk about you, you'd think you were some big bad monster!"

Toshiro knocked away the hand as he glared.

"That's Kingsley Shacklebolt," she said, pointing towards the tall wizard who he'd run into in Hogwarts. "And_ that_ over there is Mad-Eye Moody."

He could certainly ascertain as to why they called him Mad-Eye.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well Harry," she added as she glanced up at the teen.

"I think its best that we get going," Kingsley pointed out as he glanced at the clock.

"Go?" Harry asked "To the Burrow?"

"No, somewhere else," Lupin said. "Tonks, why don't you go help him pack."

The woman nodded as she gave Toshiro one last smile and a ruffle of the hair before she followed after Harry.

"So," the ex-professor said. "What're you doing here?"

The Shinigami remained silent for a moment before answering. "Another investigation."

"The Dementors again?"

"No, a disturbance in this area that showed up in our systems."

"You have systems?" Lupin asked but quieted down when he received a withering look.

"It's creating a blank spot on our computers and messing with any communicators or detectors that are within its range."

"Do you know what's causing it?"

"I have determined that Potter is the cause."

"And what the hell does that mean exactly?" Moody growled as he finally broke away from all of the ice.

"I'm not entirely sure yet," Toshiro muttered as he shifted his weight. "But there's something going on. I can feel it."

"Why don't you come with us," Lupin suggested, only to be shot looks by both Moody and Kingsley.

"We can trust him. He's saved Harry's life before and I'm sure Sirius would love to see his saviour as well."

The Shinigami's brow furrowed at the mention of Black but otherwise he remained impassive. It appeared as though someone was gathering strong wizards together, but more importantly, that they were probably guarding Harry…or was there something more to it?

"I take it Dumbledore is the leader of your little brigade?"

The man hesitated before nodding, "Yes but, we can't really explain here. Come with us and all your questions will be answered."

But there seemed to be something else to the request. The taicho could see it in the werewolf's eyes: a spark of hope.

"Well, I suppose that would be best. At the moment Harry is my main concern _and_ problem, so it would be prudent of me to follow him."

"Ah," Lupin smiled as he clapped the white haired boy on the back. "It's good to have you aboard."

But aboard _what_ exactly?

Just then Tonks came bounding down the stairs holding Hedwig's cage with a trunk hovering along after her followed by Harry who had his broom clutched in his hand.

"Ready to go?" the woman asked with a smile.

At everyone's nod they all exited the house, shutting the door behind them. As they stood on the grass everyone's eyes suddenly landed on Hitsugaya.

"Can I assist you in anything?" He drawled as he sheathed Hyorinmaru.

"You don't have a broom," Kingsley pointed out.

"That I don't." He agreed easily. "And I'm quite glad."

"Well," Tonks chuckled as she conjured up her own broom and an extra apparently for him "That's easily fixed."

The taicho's mouth formed a thin line as he looked at the cleaning utensil, "I'll manage without it."

"You expect to fly by your own wings to Headquarters?" Moody guffawed boomingly as he began to flick a lighter.

Small orbs of light began returning to all of the streetlamps, illuminating the paved drives.

"Not by wings, no."

Harry stared at him for a moment rather disbelievingly, "You mean to tell me, that you can fly?"

"Yes." Toshiro nodded simply.

"Actually_ fly_?"

"Yes."

"As in kick up your heels and take to the sky, _fly_?"

"For the final time _yes_," he spat venomously, the air around them dropping several degrees.

Tonks rubbed her arms at the sudden temperature change. "Oh, I like him. He's a feisty one."

Lupin shot her a withering glance as he sighed, "If he says he can fly, I don't doubt him. The question is: can you keep up?"

The Shinigami smirked, "I should be asking you the same question."

Kingsley laughed at the boy's comment before pulling out his wand, "We're going to need to use a Dissillusionment charm. Your cloak will fly off in the wind Harry and we don't have enough for everyone."

The teen nodded and soon everyone was almost invisible except for their blurred outlines. The wizards-and witch- mounted their brooms, casting Hitsugaya a wary glance before kicking off into the air as a shower of sparks appeared not far off in the sky.

Toshiro swiftly followed, pushing himself smoothly from the ground and easily catching up. Harry whooped in joy as they took to the sky, laughing in astonishment as he spotted the boy beside him before he began to fade from view.

With a Shunpo the Shinigami was a little ahead of them but he allowed for them to catch up and exceed his distance so that he could continue to follow them in that way. The night air whipped at their faces as they continued on, soaring over a nearby river and through the crowded city blocks undetected.

It must have been almost an hour when Moody suddenly took a dive towards the ground, the others following swiftly after.

In a flash Hitsugaya was on the ground, brushing his hand against Tonk's arm to alert her to his prescience. The woman gave a jump before settling down, laughing about something or another.

They were in a rather rundown neighbourhood, grimy houses with yellowed grass lining the street.

"Where are we?" Harry asked as he kicked out at an old pop can

"In a minute," Lupin said in a hushed voice.

Moody rummaged through his cloak before pulling out the lighter Toshiro had spotted back on Privet Drive and a slip of paper.

"Here. You two read it."

Toshiro leaned over to catch a glimpse of what was scrawled across the slip of paper.

_The Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, London._

* * *

Dear Readers,

So March Break is coming up soon and I'm looking forward to it. Between the exam break, Family Day weekend and March Break, time always flies around this time of year. But damn, I'm tired. I'm not entirely sure why. I've actually been going to bed at reasonable times but as soon as I get home I crash sometimes until seven in the evening. And using Word when I'm tired makes my eyes burn which makes me want to close them which leads to me falling asleep. I feel really bad though because I've been ignoring my other story! But this one just distracts me all the time! Ugh. And my other only has two chapters until it's done. I'm awful. Thanks for reading,

ForeverFalling.


	4. Straight on 'Till Morning

A/N: Hey everyone! How have you been? Good I hope! Thanks to all those who reviewed, it really makes my day to read them all.

* * *

_Toshiro leaned over to catch a glimpse of what was scrawled across the slip of paper._

_The Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, London._

* * *

Hitsugaya frowned down at the scrap of paper before looking at the decrepit houses that lined the street, noticing right away that there _was _no number twelve.

"Come on," Moody grunted as he slammed his staff against the pavement.

"But," Harry started "There's no—

"Think about what you just saw," Lupin whispered.

Toshiro listened to the man's words and suddenly something in the air shifted. Magic began to emanate from between numbers eleven and thirteen as another began to appear between them, slowly pushing them aside with a loud groan.

"Ah, good to see you again or at least most of you," Tonks said, walking over and squeezing his shoulder.

"I was afraid we'd lost you. Pretty bloody hard to tell."

He nodded as he continued to stare at the still appearing house.

"Its something isn't it? Damn paranoid if you ask me."

"Ah, this is Sirius's house I presume."

The woman nodded, "You bet. Though, it's a little worn down at the moment. That tends to happen when you're gone for twelve years!"

He voiced his agreement as the group began filing in through the front door.

The smell of mildew and dust weighted down the air and the floor boards creaked under their weight as the procession made their way into the darkness. The door shut with a quiet click, engulfing them into black but before long Moody had pulled out his wand and gas lamps mounted on the walls hissed to life.

Toshiro could pick up the sounds of murmurs from somewhere within the house as the magic pricked at his skin. The entire place was rather reminiscent of the Shrieking Shack except the former grandeur was rather evident in the worn out rugs and dusty paintings.

A portly woman came scuttling down the hall, the lamps giving her skin a sallow.

"Oh Harry dear," she greeted as she enveloped the teen into a tight hug. "It's wonderful to see you."

She continued to mutter to the boy, quickly losing Toshiro's attention. The taicho ran a slender finger over the peeling wallpaper, pulling back a piece to reveal a layer of another underneath. Teal eyes looked up to find a chandelier covered in cobwebs hanging from the high ceiling and he quickly sidestepped as he noticed a spider slowly sliding down from one of the crystals.

When the small creature landed near his foot he easily leaned over and scooped it up. With the intention of setting it outside the taicho turned, the movement catching the still chattering woman's attention.

"And who is this?"

"Molly, this is Toshiro Hitsugaya. The one the children are always talking about," Lupin supplied.

The Shinigami looked up at the woman, eyes narrowing as he tried to place her. "It's nice to meet you…again Mrs.…Weasley."

Mrs. Weasley's own eyes narrowed as she stared at him. "You're…that boy. The white hair…Hitsugaya!" she exclaimed at last, a look of awe coming over her face.

"Now, I remember! We helped you onto the train. Why, I don't know what those children were talking about!" she crowed as she turned to look at Tonks.

"I know!" the other woman laughed as she leaned over and once again ruffled his hair.

Toshiro was beginning to wonder _what_ exactly people had been saying about him.

"It took me off guard when I first saw him," Tonks continued to prattle on.

Mrs. Weasley turned back to give him a calculating look before nodding. "Well, you might not be what I expected, but you're most definitely the boy that the children have been talking about. Now," she added, casting a stern look at the wizards. "What, pray tell, is he doing here?"

"I'm on a mission," Toshiro answered, before anyone else could.

"A mission?" she asked, looking down at him with a questioning gaze. "You?"

"He might be little, but his sword is not." Tonks nodded sagely.

Hitsugaya glared. "You shall all stop referring to my size and appearance in such a condescending manner from this moment onward."

"Why exactly is he here?" Mrs. Weasley asked again, looking to Moody for an answer

"He thought following after Harry would be a wise move."

"Is Sirius or Dumbledore here?" Toshiro asked, once again catching the woman's attention.

"Why yes, as a matter of fact, Sirius—

"Sirius is here?!" Harry practically yelped in surprise.

"Potter," Toshiro started flatly. "This is his house."

"It is?" he asked, casting a look about. "How can you tell?"

"How can you _not_?"

Harry glared down at the taicho, opening his mouth to snap back only to have Lupin interrupt.

"No bickering you two."

Hitsugaya rolled his eyes before deciding that the spider resting in his palm was quite a bit more interesting than Potter's ramblings.

"The meeting's about to start," Mrs. Weasley whispered to the older wizards before shooing Harry up the stairs.

"And you," she added as an after thought. "It's wonderful to see you again my dear and I'll really have to get your full story later, but right now I'm afraid that there's a meeting and children aren't allowed. It shouldn't take long and after we can get everything sorted out over dinner."

"Oh uh, Molly," Lupin laughed timidly. "Mr. Hitsugaya, really isn't a…um, child. Actually, I was hoping, and I'd assume he expected, that he'd be joining the meeting."

The woman gave him a scandalized look. "I won't have a boy younger than Ginny into one of those meetings!"

"Mrs. Weasley," Toshiro started in a voice he only used on the most annoying of subordinates. "I'm afraid that you seem to have garnered the wrong impression of me."

The woman smiled down at him before tutting and carefully taking the spider from his hand.

"I've heard plenty about you dear. You're bright for your age, especially if Hermione took the time to speak with a first year for all that time."

Toshiro quirked an eyebrow. A first year?

"You made friends with the Longbottoms' boy but you had to move away for your father's work. The boys mentioned you a dozen times last summer. See," she smiled as she brushed some dirt from his shoulder and straightened his haori. "I know plenty. Now, I think it's about time we get you to floo home dear. Your father must be set to have a fit."

The taicho stared up at her for a moment before rolling his eyes and walking past her. She called after him but when she didn't follow he simply assumed that someone had stopped her.

He walked to the end of the hall to where he could hear the hushed voices slipping out from underneath the door. He pushed it open, several faces looking up to lock onto his. The dining area and kitchen remained silent for a moment before a chair scraped against the floorboards.

"Toshiro?"

Said boy smirked as Sirius stared over at him, a look of shock marring his face.

"Surprised I take it?"

The criminal gave a happy bark of laughter as he rushed forward to envelop the boy in a tight hug.

"It's good to see you again."

"Yes well, it's good to see you as well but I would appreciate it if you would release me."

The man held him at arm's length, dark eyes giving him a once over. "You look exactly the same."

"I'm afraid I can't say the same for you."

Sirius laughed as he gave a nod. "I hope it's for the better though."

"Well, the smell is gone and that in itself is a miracle."

The Shinigami was finally released from Sirius' hold as the man took a step back.

"It's amazing to think that after all this time you look exactly the same," he said, an almost sad look coming over his eyes. "The boy that won't grow up. You're like a real life Peter Pan."

"Peter Pan?" he asked curiously, not entirely sure to whom he was referring.

"A muggle children's story," Sirius dismissed with a wave of his hand as if to fend off his own thoughts.

"Well, I suppose some introductions are in order. I know you've already met Arthur Weasley," he said, nodding towards the balding man before looking to a man in his twenties, clearly another Weasley. "This is Bill Weasley, and this," he added gesturing to a rather grubby looking man, "Is Mundungus Fletcher."

The taicho gave a swift bow. "It's a pleasure."

"I've heard a lot about you," Bill said with a smile, reaching out to shake his hand.

Toshiro took it as he nodded, "So I've gathered. But," he started, looking to Sirius "Just what, have people heard?"

"Ah, yes well, you see Hermione thought it best that they respect your privacy. They may have…stretched some facts," Sirius winced.

"A first year?" Hitsugaya asked flatly.

Sirius hummed in response as he took a seat, pushing aside a wine bottle and pointing to the chair next to his. "They needed something that fit. You left in such a hurry from what I gathered that they didn't have time to really ask what you would have preferred."

The boy nodded as he sat. "I had some matters to attend to. My people have been…struggling as of late."

"Your people?" Mr. Weasley asked curiously as he leaned forward. "You went back to Japan?"

"No," Toshiro answered easily. "I haven't resided in Japan for well over one hundred years."

Bill frowned, clearly confused. "Wha—

"I'm dead."

Sirius winced at the bluntness as he pressed his face into his palm.

"_Dead_? Just what are you talking about?" Mr. Weasley grunted.

"I am dead; I don't think I can be blunter that that."

When Bill went to ask another question Sirius cut him off, "We'll get into this later. Right now, we need to focus on the matter at hand." He turned to the white haired boy "Just what are you doing here?"

"A disturbance was detected. When it was pinpointed the location was found to be in England. Imagine my surprise when it just so happened to be coming from Potter's town."

"You mean—?

"Yes," Toshiro nodded. "Harry was the disturbance."

"What does that mean exactly?"

"It means," he explained slowly. "That there is something wrong with Harry Potter. What that something is, I can't be sure. But until I am, I must remain near him. If I cannot determine the cause, others will be sent in my place."

"Others…like you." Sirius frowned.

"Only much worse. Believe it or not, I'm rather understanding in comparison."

"Wait," Bill piped up, glaring at Fletcher who seemed to have dozed off leaning over the table. "So were you there when the Dementor attacked Harry?"

"I only saw the end."

"But that means you can vouch for him at the trial! It'll make things so much easier."

Sirius looked hopefully at him for a moment before he was sent a teal eyed glare.

"I won't become involved in your court systems."

Memories of Dumbledore's threats about the Ministry flitted through his mind as he considered it for a moment.

"Besides, I have other matters to deal with. Potter will be fine on his own."

Just as he finished a booming voice echoed from overhead. Eight pairs of eyes glanced up, all wondering the same thing.

"So…," Sirius started, tapping his fingers against the wood of the table. "Harry's here."

Toshiro nodded passively. "And as loud as ever, I might add."

"He gets it from his father," the man smiled. "It's nice to have that loud voice around again."

"I would beg to differ." Another voice said.

The room's occupants all looked up to find Severus Snape standing in the doorway, Molly right behind, followed by Tonks. Kingsley seemed to have slipped off to wherever he'd come from and Moody was out of sight as well.

"So," the man drawled as dark eyes slid to settle on the Shinigami. "I see that the dead child has returned."

Toshiro rolled his eyes, choosing to ignore the man's words. Truly there wasn't any real heat behind what he was saying; it was just a routine by now.

"What, may I ask, is he doing here?"

"I've been staying with Potter for the past few days. I've come back for a mission."

"Oh my," Snape sneered in his normal nasally tone. "Aren't you the_ important _one?"

"Oh bugger off Snivillus," Sirius shot back as the other man took a seat. He was ignored by his rival who seemed to have deemed him unimportant in light of current events.

"What mission?" Molly asked, clearly in the dark. "What's he going on about?"

"A mission," Toshiro said slowly "As in an operational task."

The woman glared down at him letting the Shinigami know she was unhappy with him. "Now dear, I know that you might think that you need to stay with Harry but, I really think your father will be absolutely horrified when he can't find you."

The taicho tried not to let his temper get away from him as he ran a hand over his face. Breathe deeply; wasn't that what Unohana always said? With one last calming breath he looked up at Mrs. Weasley trying not to let his vexation show.

"I do not have a father, nor have I had one for quite some years."

She glared down at him for another moment before throwing her hands in the air in surrender. "Will someone please tell me _exactly_ what is going on?!"

"I think I can be of some service," Sirius smiled in his own cheeky way.

---

"You mean to tell me, that he's a one hundred twenty four year-old dead warrior?" Mrs. Weasley asked flatly as if waiting for someone to break out into laughter.

"Well," Sirius considered for a moment. "When you say it like that, it doesn't sound at all plausible."

"I thought the same thing about wizards," Toshiro put in.

"Yes but, I think magic is a little more believable."

Teal eyes rolled. "Considering all of the lore surrounding my people, or beings that are similar in purpose to my people and what we do, I'd think I would be more inclined to believe in dead, soul collecting warriors than wizards."

"I think you're wrong," Sirius contended as he leaned forward in his chair.

"I don't really—

"Wait!" Mrs. Weasley yelled. "So all of this is _true_? This tiny little pup of a boy, is some sort of undead fighter?!"

"Yes," Sirius sighed. "I thought we'd gotten passed this already."

"B-but he was just supposed to be a school boy with a hair issue," she ranted, clearly frustrated. "And Dumbledore! He used a child!"

"I refuse to be referred to as—

"It doesn't matter if you're one _hundred_ or three _thousand_ you are still a _child_," she railed. "And I will not put up with any of this nonsense. He will _not_ be included in this meeting, he will _not _be staying here and he most certainly will not be leaving here with that sword!"

"Now, Molly," Arthur tried.

"No," she yelled, red faced. "I will not allow a child to carry around a dangerous weapon. A wand is bad enough, but a bloody sword? The line must be drawn somewhere."

The temperature of the room suddenly took a nose dive, a few of the occupants casting knowing glances at Toshiro.

"Mrs. Weasley," he started calmly. "I appreciate your concern but it is unwarranted I assure you. I have long been considered an adult and may I remind you," he continued, his voice turning cold, "That I am over twice your own age. And I can tell you now, no meeting of yours would disturb me so much that I would need to leave the room. I have seen far too much war in my lifetime to become effected by such trivial things."

The room fell silent as his speech drew to a close and the temperature began to rise.

"See," Tonks spoke up for the first time as she placed a comforting hand on the woman's shoulder. "I told you he could manage. The kid's got guts. Can't you see it in his eyes?" she mused openly.

"I think we should let the Headmaster decide," Snape muttered quietly from his place at the table.

"I agree with Severus," Molly nodded as she cast a wary glance at Hyorinmaru. "Now," she coughed. "Clear away everything so we can get dinner going."

Bill muttered a quick spell so that the maps were gone as his father began to clear away the various papers that were littering the tabletop.

"I'll be taking my leave," Snape said as he stood. "Dumbledore should be here within the next few days so I suggest you keep Potter under control in the mean time."

The man gave a small nod to Hitsugaya before leaving the room and soon enough they all heard the front door close behind him.

"Ugh," Sirius moaned as he glared after his former schoolmate. "I can't stand that git."

"He's not all that horrible," the taicho said as he pulled Hyorinmaru to lie across his lap. "If you respect him, he'll reciprocate."

The criminal shot him a look that clearly questioned where his loyalties lay before there was suddenly a loud crack that sounded something akin to snapping bones.

Hitsugaya ducked in the opposite direction, upsetting his chair as he did.

"Funny. I don't remember—

"Him being so jumpy."

The taicho sighed as he found himself staring at the ever beaming twins. He straightened his haori before just giving up, pulling it off and tossing it across the back of the nearest chair.

"Yes well, as I'm sure you're aware a lot can happen in two years time."

Fred-or maybe George- nodded, a sad sort of smile coming to occupy his face. "Yeah."

The door to the hallways swung open as the younger Weasley children arrived along with Harry and Hermione close behind. The sad smile disappeared to be replaced by a jovial one. The taicho looked on knowingly before he was almost bowled over by the over exuberant Hermione.

"Oh Toshiro, it's absolutely wonderful to see you again."

"Hermione," he greeted before sighing, "Would you mind releasing me?"

The witch made a small noise in the back of her throat as she gave him a once over. "You look exactly the same. I know Harry said you hadn't changed but…whoa."

"Good to see you again mate," Ron greeted before giving him a pat on the back.

Ginny nodded in agreement. "Neville wouldn't stop talking about you all year long."

Truth be told, he'd never really spent much time with Ginny Weasley. She'd sat with her own friends during meals so they'd only ever really seen each other in the common room. And even then they'd traveled through different circles only managing to interact when she needed something from her brother.

While Sirius and Harry were busy catching up everyone else went about getting ready for dinner and the meal was a loud affair to say the least. Toshiro had become engrossed in debate with Bill, Arthur and Lupin concerning Goblins as he picked idly at his food. Tonks was somehow going about changing her facial features for the girls' amusement but he'd frankly decided to just ignore the entire matter for now.

Mrs. Weasley still seemed rather tense and the taicho didn't miss her eyes wandering in his direction every few moments. He was tempted to say something. _Oh so tempted_. But he refrained in the end seeing as he was going to have to stay with her in the same house for several days. Being civil was the least he could do. But as he continued to pick at his food the unnerving feeling that had been assaulting his being since arriving in London began to creep up on him again. It made the taste of the food turn in his mouth and before long he simply set down his fork and instead was content to sip his water.

"Do you not like it dear?"

He looked up from his glass to find Mrs. Weasley staring at his still largely full plate.

"It's fine. I'm simply not very hungry."

She looked as if she wanted to say something but decided not to and before long she was speaking with her husband about one thing or another.

"So how long do you expect to be in London?" Ron asked from across the table.

"I've only been permitted to stay until the end of the week. Depending on what happens I may have to report in and ask for another extension."

Hermione frowned from her place beside him. "Why would you need an extension? I thought you'd figured out that it was Harry's magic causing the interference."

"Maybe," he said quietly. "But one can't be too careful."

She sat for a moment before a thought seemed to hit her. "But why would his magic start interfering with your systems _now_? And why wouldn't any other magical being have the same affect? It doesn't make sense," she argued, Ron nodding in agreement as he swallowed a fork full of potato.

"I never said it did."

"So, you're going to be staying for a while longer then."

He nodded. "Yes, for a while longer."

"Well it'll be nice to have you," Tonks butt in as her face returned to normal. "I guess none of the background information was true but, I know even I've heard a bit about you so it's good to finally meet you in the flesh. Well, I mean, maybe not _flesh_," she muttered. "Because you're dead. So you're more of like a…spirit body."

"Alright everyone," Molly called from the other end of the table. "It's about time for bed I think. Toshiro, I'm afraid none of the rooms are set up for another person but I can get the couch in the drawing room ready for you."

"I'll be fine; you really don't need to accommodate me. It's my fault for arriving with no warning."

"Actually Molly," Sirius started. "I think Harry has some questions for us."

The teen perked up with a nod. "I asked Ron and Hermione but they said we're not allowed in the Order so—

"And they're right," Mrs. Weasley growled as she cleared away the table with a quick spell. "You're far too young."

"But Toshiro—

"Is over a hundred years old," she ground out reluctantly. "I'm afraid I have little say in what he is permitted to do or not. You on the other hand are underage."

"He doesn't have to be in the Order to ask questions," Sirius pointed out. "He's got a right to know what's been happening."

"Hey," Ginny interrupted. "How come he gets all his questions answered?! We've been asking for ages."

"It's your parents' decision," Sirius shrugged. "I don't really mind either way."

And so a large argument ensued much to Hitsugaya's annoyance. Tonks made a small clucking sound with her tongue before she slipped from the room apparently deciding that it was time for her to leave. The taicho returned her wave as he watched on jealously. Maybe if he just got up…?

"Ginny! BED!"

He slid back down in his chair as the woman began dragging her yelling daughter through the door. The room fell silent so he settled in and contently went about nursing his water.

The discussion and questions went on until quite early in the morning and there were several things the Shinigami had worked out. The Ministry was out of control, there was no doubt in his mind about that. But the Dementors were still under their control…supposedly. So either the attack was ordered by Voldemort which seemed rather unlikely because Voldemort came across as a face to face, melodramatic, show down type of man, or someone within the Ministry was out to get Harry.

The later seemed far more plausible.

If they were trying to discredit him, what better a way than to isolate him from his peers and make him bear the stigma of expulsion? And through Harry it would be easy enough to get to Dumbledore. Attack the lower to get to the higher; it was an age old tactic. But something else was nagging at him. No one else seemed to notice the guarded glances shared among the Order members as they explained. The way they shifted uncomfortably in their seats. They were hiding something. Something big.

"What's he want other than follows?" Harry asked as the taicho tuned back in.

"Stuff he can only get through stealth," Sirius answered uneasily. There it was again. The man's eyes a flickered to Lupin's before he answered as he silently asking him for help.

"Like a weapon," he continued. "Something…he didn't have before."

"I think we've said enough," Remus sighed as he ran a hand tiredly over his face.

Sirius nodded looking worn out himself. "Bed everyone."

The group looked ready to protest but they seemed to recognize defeat and they quietly slipped off to bed, leaving Toshiro sitting at the table with Sirius and Lupin.

Mundungus had apparently slipped off at some point.

He gave the men a calculating look, seeing what they wanted in their eyes, he began.

"I have no desire to be a part of your Order but," he paused, setting down his glass.

"I want full disclosure. I want to know exactly what is going on, who's doing it and where. If I were to be promised that, I might…offer my assistance should you want it."

"Ah, as shrewd as ever," Sirius chuckled humourlessly.

He shared another glance with Lupin who nodded in agreement, before offering his hand to the taicho.

"You've got yourself a deal."

* * *

Dear Readers,

Have any of you watched the new show Durarara? I've been watching it since it started and it's really good. I_ love_ Izaya. He and Shizuo are hilarious. It was the only good show this season in my opinion. But I'm dying for the next D. Gray - Man chapter to be up. As I've said before, Kanda is simply amazing. And the art is beautiful as always. I'm finding that everyone's going big right now. Bleach is having the big battle with Aizen, D. Gray - Man is doing the Kanda's past thing, and Naruto is great. I'm still secretly praying that Sasuke will live in the end. I really wanted to see Kakashi fight him! In the end though, it's going to have to be Naruto and Sasuke fighting it out. And I'm going to be crying because there's just no way that Sasuke can live. He's kind of gone off the deep end anyway. *Sigh* It's always sad to look back at the earlier episodes and see how he's changed. Thanks for reading,


	5. The Path Taken

A/N: Hey everyone! How have you been? Good I hope! Thanks to all those who reviewed, it really makes my day to read them all.

**OVER 200 REVIEWS!**

**You're all simply wonderful. **

--

Still setting the stage.

* * *

_He shared another glance with Lupin who nodded in agreement, before offering his hand to the taicho. _

"_You've got yourself a deal." _

_

* * *

_

Toshiro wound up spending his night camped out in what he assumed to be the library trying to ignore the sounds of creatures scurrying across the floor around him.

Before turning in for the night Sirius had been kind enough to hand him a worn down book that he highly recommended. So it was by the dying candlelight that the taicho sat well into the morning hours reading the old book of muggle stories that Sirius had cached away as a young teen to fuel his rebellious streak.

In the darkened room time passed unnoticed, the windows blacked out by thick velvet curtains that sealed away the light from curious eyes. The words on the pages licked at half forgotten memories of a childhood in a time long past. As time marched on fatigue began to weigh at his eyes and soon the book fell from a lax grasp as he fell asleep and down.

Down the rabbit's hole as the faded print read, and into dreams of laughing twins and lost time. Of bees made of snow and kisses planted on cold cheeks; to numb, to forget, to die.

Images of windows thrown open and soaring clouds swirling with screaming hearts and spun gold as Sirius tipped his hat and poured more tea into an already overflowing cup. But the windows were soon locked tight as the breaths began to slow; to numb, to forget, to _die_. And the fruit that was once whole was bitten as corpses tumbled from glass coffins that shattered on impact.

The hearts were still screaming- off with their heads- and children cried out in the lukewarm depths as the flute played on. Iron shoes slapped against tile floors as glass ones dissolved into webs of spidery cracks.

Blood gushes and pools from mutilated feet and the princess is laughing in the arms of her beloved, smiling though the on lookers have no eyes with which to see. A hungry wolf lures a red swathed Luna into the darkened forest as Neville carefully drops dried crumbs to mark his way.

The sun rises as the ship sets sail and _he can fly damn it_.

A dog barks up at the star filled sky in hopes of seeing tiny feet, but the noise is drowned out by the cold wind as the liver and lungs are served on silver and the heart is slowing-slowing-slowing-and the ground is shaking beneath him as someone calls over the howling wind:

"Toshiro?"

Teal eyes snapped open as he lurched forward only to find himself half laying on the floor of the Black library.

"Were you here all night?" Ron asked giving him a look that questioned his sanity. "You're neck isn't going to thank you for it mate."

Hitsugaya ran a hand over his face as he tried to get his bearings, noticing the book still open on the floor near his feet.

"I suppose I fell asleep."

The redhead nodded as he offered him a hand. "Well, mum wanted me to come and get you for lunch. She almost had a right fit when we couldn't find you this morning. Once Sirius got up he told her, but bloody hell, she was barking mad."

The taicho thanked him for the help, his eyes glancing down at the book. Ron seemed to notice and stooped down to pick it up. A quick look at the title and a red eyebrow arched.

"Muggle fairytales? Are they any good?"

"They were interesting," he answered easily as they left the room.

The teen flicked through the pages catching snatches of different stories. "Not the best thing to read before bed I'd think."

"Hn. You may be right about that."

--

"Ah, there he is," Sirius called as the pair entered the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley glared at him as she dumped several eggs onto his plate.

"If you had just gotten up earlier you would have saved me a lot of worrying."

The man shrugged as he stabbed his fork into his food. "It was a late night."

Lupin made a noise of agreement from behind his coffee.

"Besides, Toshiro here got up later than any of us," he added defensively.

"Who knows how long the lad had been up," Molly retorted as she set the milk on the table. "Besides, you're a grown man, you should know better."

"He's over _twice_ my age!"

"It doesn't matter!"

Harry snickered into his sandwich at his Godfather's misfortune earning him a glare.

"You're _all _a bunch of children in my opinion," Hitsugaya huffed as he took a seat, vaguely wondering where he'd set down Hyorinmaru the night before. Maybe he'd left him under the table?

"What can I get for you dear?"

The taicho sighed as he rested his chin in his palm. "Coffee or tea would be fine thank you."

The woman ignored him and instead set down a glass of milk and a large plate of bacon and eggs.

"What was the point in asking?" He muttered as he stared down disdainfully at the bacon. Ron gave him a furtive look before snatching the bacon from his plate with a nod of thanks. The taicho shot him an annoyed look as he began eating his eggs.

"Done already dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked as she passed by on her way to the sink. "Well take some more."

She dumped another large amount of bacon onto his plate before waltzing away to do the dishes. The Shinigami shot the redhead at his side a look before sighing. "Just take it."

"Thanks mate," came the response through a mouth of egg.

"So what are your plans for the day?" he asked the room at large.

"Well, we've still got to clean up the front drawing room."

"Cleaning," he started "Isn't in my job description."

"What is in your job description?" Harry stared.

"You really don't want know. I'm afraid it isn't polite table conversation anyway."

"When is Dumbledore coming?" The glasses wearing teen asked, turning to Sirius.

"I'm not too sure myself. Maybe today or tomorrow I suppose."

"I would very much like to speak with him," Toshiro put in.

"And I'm sure _he'd_ very much like to speak with _you_. So…," he continued hesitantly. "Is everything…water under the bridge as they say?"

"No," he answered bluntly. "But I mustn't allow grudges to interfere with my mission. It would be irresponsible of me. And…where is everyone?" he asked, noticing that the other Weasley children along with Hermione seemed to be missing.

"You probably don't want to know," Mrs. Weasley sighed as she slammed herself down into a seat.

"Well, I'm going to go find them," Harry said standing. "Are you coming Ron?"

The redhead quickly shoved the rest of his mood before following after his friend. When he was sure the two were out of hearing range the taicho pushed away his plate and looked to Sirius.

"When exactly is Dumbledore coming?"

The man sighed. "I'm…not _entirely_ sure. Something's been a little off with him lately."

Toshiro made a mental note to look into that. "Now, tell me exactly what your group is doing."

Sirius glanced around as if afraid someone who didn't belong would suddenly pop into existence. "We're guarding something."

"Guarding?"

"Yes…protecting it from Voldemort."

"The weapon you were telling Harry about?" the Shinigami asked as he leaned back in his chair.

"Yes," the man nodded. "Only, it's not much of a weapon in the traditional sense. It's a prophecy."

Hitsugaya's nose scrunched in distaste.

"I know what you're thinking," Sirius chuckled humourlessly. "But we're talking the real deal, might tell Voldemort how to win the war in fact."

The white haired boy thought for a moment before speaking. "I'm going to guess that it has something to do with Harry. Maybe it details how he's supposed to kill Voldemort? Or even…how Voldemort kills him?"

Sirius made a noise of agreement. "But we're not entirely sure. Only Dumbledore's heard the entire thing and he's a little…sparing with information."

"I would imagine so," Toshiro muttered. "But where is it stored?"

"In the Ministry of Magic."

"I suppose Tonks and Shacklebolt come in handy then. And Mr. Weasley."

"Quite actually."

Hitsugaya ran a hand over his face tiredly. "Alright. So, are you ever going to tell Harry about all this? If it concerns him, he has a right to know."

"He's just a boy," Molly shot furiously.

"Unfortunately boys go to war every day Mrs. Weasley," he said. "And many don't come back. These things happen. It's best that you accept that fact now. Otherwise one day, you're going to find out the hard way."

She looked to say something but he easily cut her off.

"People die. Every second somewhere in the world, someone dies. And age isn't a factor. Death won't spare the young. It takes everyone equally no matter how unfair we may think it is."

"Now, Toshiro," Arthur started from his place at the head of the table, breaking his silence to come to his wife's defence.

"I'm merely stating a fact," he said as he stood. "I don't mean to be cruel. Now, you mentioned cleaning?"

"Oh, well yes," she said, rather flustered.

"And which room are you cleaning today? The drawing room I believe you said?"

She nodded.

"Well then, I'll be in the library."

* * *

As soon as he pulled back the velvet curtains the library was flooded with light. And yet, Hyorinmaru was no where to be found. Still, he knew he was in the house, so that was something.

The taicho wandered through the shelves ducking down to look under them every few feet in hopes that he'd catch sight of his Zanpakuto. When over two hours had gone by the boy growled in frustration as he thumped down onto the carpeted floor.

"Where _is_ he?!" he bit out, ready to start tearing the room apart. He tapped pale finger tapped against his knee as he tried calling out with his mind, and even summoning the sword.

After a few moments it became clear that whatever magic that was floating around in the air was interfering. So it was with great annoyance-and a rather large drop in temperature- that he made his way-_not stomped_- into the front drawing room where everyone was busy cleaning.

"Have any of you seen Hyorinmaru?"

Ron stared up from his place by the hearth. "You brought a pet?"

"He's a sword."

"You have a _pet sword_?"

"No," he snapped, easily losing his cool. "As you are well aware, I have a sword. Named Hyorinmaru. Have you seen him?"

"It has a gender?" the redhead asked as he shifted so that he was sitting more comfortably.

"I think it's cute," Ginny piped up from under the coffee table. "It's like how you named your stuffed bunny when you were little!"

"It is not!" Ron shot back, a flush spreading across his freckled cheeks.

"My Zanpakuto's name is in no way similar to Ronald's childhood habit of naming inanimate objects." Toshiro glared.

"A sword is an inanimate object," Ginny objected.

"A normal sword, yes. Not a Zanpakuto. Hyorinmaru is a sentient being."

"You mean…your sword…is alive?" the girl asked looking a little disturbed.

"Yes."

"Well that's just plain weird."

Fred suddenly looked up from behind the couch. "It also leaves room for many inappropriate jokes. A great deal to do with polishing I'd think."

"I know," the taicho snapped impatiently. "Have you two seen him?"

"Nope," the twins answered simultaneously before they ducked back down behind the piece of furniture.

"Have you tried upstairs?" Hermione suggested as she beat off a snapping lamp.

"I haven't been up there yet."

"The basement?" Harry called as he tried to stop the curtain ties from strangling him.

"There's a basement?"

"Don't go down there!" the twins yelled almost frantically. Fred peaked up from behind the couch again.

"You _don't _want to go down there. _Really_." He said before slowly sinking back down.

"…Alright." The taicho blinked for a moment before continuing, "Does anyone have any idea where he could possibly be?"

Suddenly Ron perked up. "I bet_ Kretcher_ took him!"

"Kretcher?"

"The house elf!"

"You have an elf?"

"Not me, Sirius."

"An elf," he said flatly.

"Yeah," Ron nodded. "A house elf. You've never heard of them?"

The taicho shook his head which instantly caught Hermione's attention.

"Why don't I tell you all about them later I—

"Bugger off Hermione!" Ron shouted. "You can't taint his mind with your SPEW."

"It's not SPEW!"

"Where can I find him exactly?" the Shinigami asked, cutting off their argument.

"Try upstairs," Hermione suggested.

"I will," he said as he turned to leave. "By the way," he added before slipping from the room. "Potter's being garrotted by the curtain ties."

"Oh bloody hell!"

"Harry?! Harry can you hear me?!"

* * *

As it would turn out Hyorinmaru had been stashed away in a closet on the second floor of the house. Whether it had been done by Creature-Kretcher-whatever its name was, the taicho was unsure, and frankly he didn't really care.

The day passed by rather uneventfully after that. Harry was still rather tense about his expulsion and that tenseness seemed to be spreading to the other occupants of Grimmauld Place. Even the taicho had begun to feel the strain, the weight bearing down upon his nerves. As everyone sat around the table for a rather quiet dinner there was no question of what was on everyone's minds. Even the twins were uncharacteristically quiet throughout the meal.

Toshiro frowned as he pushed aside a rather oddly shaped potato, glancing down at the old uniform he was wearing. He'd washed it in the laundry tub back at the Dursleys-seeing as no one could see him- but other than that the clothes had remained unwashed.

He hated the thought of asking to borrow any from the house's occupants but seeing as it didn't look as if he was going to be given the opportunity to go out an acquire some new clothes, that seemed to be his only option.

"So uh," Harry started clearly trying to break the awkward silence. "When is Professor Dumbledore coming?"

"We're not exactly sure," Sirius answered. "He should be by soon though."

"And…he'll know all about my hearing and everything?"

The man nodded.

"Well…that's…good."

And thus the veil of silence that had lifted fell once again over the table.

"You know," Arthur noted. "It's getting quite late. Why don't you kids head on up to bed?"

They all looked to protest before Molly cut them off. "OUT NOW!"

It was just as the group was clearing away that Professor McGonagall appeared in the doorway, muggle dress and all.

"Mr. Hitsugaya, you're looking…young as ever. But I suppose given the circumstances that's to be expected, no?"

He greeted her quietly as she took the seat next to his.

"Albus should be along shortly," she informed the room. "Now, Severus was saying that you had another mission to attend to here in London?" she asked, turning to stare down at the Shinigami.

"Yes, although I may be gone as soon as the end of this week."

"So soon?"

"I have duties that I need to perform back home. I can't just get up and leave as I please."

She nodded understandingly. "It's still good to see you again lad."

"Likewise. Though, I wish it were under better circumstances."

"Ah, yes well," she chuckled. "There's not much we can do about that. But tell me," she added. "Severus didn't make it clear, have you joined the Order?"

"He refuses," Sirius said. "Flat out said no. But he did say that he'd assist us if he could. For the right price of course."

A slender eyebrow arched. "You refused?"

The taicho nodded without giving a further explanation.

"Well, your assistance will be greatly appreciated."

"The only problem is that I might be gone come the end of the week. That doesn't exactly leave much time to assist."

The woman gave him a stern look. "Either way, your company will be appreciated. It's always nice to catch up with old students."

"And we love having you here," Mrs. Weasley smiled. "I'll admit I was a little…surprised, but you seem like a very nice young man."

The taicho acknowledged her words but otherwise chose to remain silent as tea was soon served. A rather mild conversation about mundane things was struck up around the table. It was more like a gathering of old friends than a secret organization's meeting.

---

–and so I said, that wasn't my mug, it was yours! The poor bloke was heartbroken!" Sirius howled as Arthur laughed along with him.

It'd been over two hours since Minerva had arrived and the tea had long gone cold. The woman continued to assure everyone that Dumbledore would be along shortly but as the minutes ticked by Hitsugaya began to doubt her words.

He vaguely began to wonder if Lupin was going to make an appearance but judging by the time he didn't think it likely. The taicho bit back a yawn as he flicked aside a stray sugar cube that'd somehow fallen onto the table. Mrs. Weasley and McGonagall were busy chatting about knitting patterns or something of the like to his right as he settled into his chair, trying to get more comfortable.

"If you're tired dear you can always head off to bed, I've set up the couch in the drawing room for you." Molly called over.

"No, I'll wait."

And so he did. He waited, and waited, and _waited _until he was quite sure he was sure that Dumbledore would arrive with the rising sun.

Sirius had fallen asleep, his head resting against Arthur's shoulder who was leaning back in his chair, his breathy snores ringing out in the otherwise quiet room. McGonagall was still sitting straight in her chair but Molly had long given up the battle and was slouched against the table.

Several of the room's occupants jumped at the sound of the front door opening.

"Ah, sorry I'm late," Dumbledore smiled as he entered the kitchen, taking off his cloak as he did. "I'm afraid I lost track of the time."

Toshiro rolled his eyes as Sirius gave Arthur a shove to wake him.

The headmaster took a seat and conjured up a cup of hot tea. "I was reading the most _fascinating_ book about Dolphins. They're amazing creatures."

It seemed as if the man hadn't changed a bit, even in light of recent events.

"Now," the old wizard said. "I suppose we want to finish up here so you can all get off to bed. After all, sleep is important for growing boys."

Twinkling blues eyes met with teal for a moment before they broke away.

"Everything is going well. I had a meeting with the Minister the other day and although he still seems to be blind to what is happening I'm hoping that I'll be able to break through to him in the near future."

"What about Harry's hearing?" Sirius asked.

"Yes about that," the man's voice took a more sombre tone. "I'm still not entirely sure how those Dementors managed to get to Little Whinging but I plan to find out as soon as possible. The meeting will be held in two days time, I'll owl the exact times to you tomorrow- or later today I should say."

"You'll help him though, right?" the man asked, worrying colouring his voice.

"Of course," Dumbledore nodded. "I'll defend Harry as best I can."

Sirius withheld a sigh of relief as he settled back into his chair.

"Now, you can all head up to bed," the old man said. "But, I'd like to have a word with Mr. Hitsugaya."

The taicho looked up at the Headmaster who'd trained his eyes on him alone.

"Well," McGonagall sniffed as she stood. "I'll be sure to stop by when I can."

Molly nodded as she shuffled out of the room after the woman. "Goodnight Headmaster."

"Goodnight Molly," he called back softly as Mr. Weasley and Sirius stood to leave.

"You know," the dark haired man started. "Harry really wants to see you."

The elder nodded. "And I him. But I'm afraid current circumstances won't permit it."

Sirius sighed as he left and Mr. Weasley bid them goodnight. The pair sat in silence for a few moments before Dumbledore spoke up.

"I need your help."

Toshiro stared as he leaned back in his chair, wondering what he could possibly want, and yet having an inkling as to what. "Blunt. I suppose that means you're serious."

"There's no room for joking," the man said flatly as he pushed aside his tea. "You couldn't have arrived at a better moment. When Severus told me you had appeared…well, I was quite thankful."

"What is it you need exactly?"

"I need you to watch Harry."

The taicho smirked. "This seems a little redundant doesn't it?"

The headmaster sighed, looking so much older than he had only a year and a half prior. "I know that you may harbour some grudges against me. Well warranted of course. But, this time is far different than what occurred that time. The situation has changed."

"Voldemort is back," Hitsugaya nodded.

"Yes," he agreed. "The war that I had predicted is upon us. And I fear that…," he trailed off for a moment, running a gnarled looking hand over his face tiredly. "We're going to lose many good people."

"That's the nature of the beast I'm afraid," the taicho said quietly.

"Yes," Dumbledore choked out, looking as if he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "I'm sure you're well acquainted. I won't pretend that I haven't made mistakes in my life. Some of which…will haunt me forever. And I'll admit that one of them involves you," he said sadly.

"But, I'm asking you to please cast aside the hate you must feel to your very core, and help me." He looked up at the Shinigami earnestly. "I can't do this without you. Not without endangering many people. _Far _too many innocent people."

Toshiro nodded in understanding. "I can't…promise you that I'll be allowed to stay. But if I am permitted, I most certainly will. And then I will help you. Even if I've long felt the urge to lean over this table and wrap my hands around your throat," he growled.

"It is my duty to protect the living. And a man who has come back to life…played _God, _has stepped into the domain of my people. He must be put down like the dog he is. And if to see that come to fruition I must assist you, then I shall do what I can, I will shadow your steps as you travel down this path of war."

"You've changed," the headmaster noted. "Maybe for the better, but truly I cannot say."

"I too, have been fighting a war. And we both know the toll that it takes."

"Too well my friend," he nodded. "_Far _too well. All this talk makes me feel like an old man.

Toshiro gave a small laugh. "If you're old, what does that make _me_?"

"Point taken."

The taicho sighed as he planted an elbow on the table and leaned into his hand. "We're just two old men who've seen far too much."

Dumbledore chuckled in agreement as he conjured up another cup of tea and slid it across the table towards the Shinigami. And it was there that they sat together until the sun peaked over the horizon. Two old men speaking of events long past, and of the things yet to come.

* * *

Dear Readers,

Hm…I want to see that movie How to Train Your Dragon or whatever it's called. It looks awesome. That's… all I've got. Thanks for reading,

ForeverFalling.


	6. Author's Note: The Waiting Game

**Hey everyone! **

**So it's been…a bit since I've updated and I'd like to apologize for that. I was in the swing of weekly updates so this is a big gap to have. I wanted to get one of my other stories done, which I did, and even that was hard to get finished. Life has struck with a vengeance! I'm also sick…**_**again**_**. Oh vitamins. How I need thee. Anyway, the point of this little note here is this: I'm going away to Nashville. And by the time I get back, catch up on all the work I've missed and gotten settled, never mind actually started writing the chapter, it'll have been over a month since I've updated. Possibly a month and a half maybe even two. But that's not too much of a delay right? It's just that people get jumpy and PM me when I don't update for a bit so doing this is easier for me. **

**Are we good? Alright then. **

**And who knows, maybe we'll see each other down in Nashville. Of course, you won't know it's me, and I won't know it's you. But fate will sure as hell be laughing.**

**ForeverFalling. **


	7. Forging the Path

A/N: Hey everyone! How have you been? Good I hope! Well, thanks to all those who reviewed, it really makes my day to read them all.

****Important Note****

**Due to popular demand…I'm thinking I'm going to have to add another Bleach character into the plot. Someone will appear eventually so…yeah. **

**Did you miss me? I missed you all. **

**PS. I've got a new story out called ****Darkened Night**** for Beyblade. So if you're into that, check it out if you can. **

* * *

_And it was there that they sat together until the sun peaked over the horizon. Two old men speaking of events long past, and of the things yet to come._

_

* * *

_Toshiro woke up rather late the next day.

He and Dumbledore had sat together until early into the morning hours before the elder man had though it time to leave. They seemed to have finally come to a truce of sorts. Rather appropriate considering how closely they might be working for the next ten months or so. The Shinigami had more or less become Harry's keeper however reluctant because for some reason-that Dumbledore didn't deem fit to reveal- the headmaster refused to get within a hundred meters of the teen if he could help it.

When the taicho unfolded himself from his place on the library floor he couldn't help but wonder how exactly he was going to pull this off.

When he entered the kitchen Mrs. Weasley cast him a disapproving look as she went about clearing the table.

"I don't know why you continue to sleep in that disgusting room, on the floor no less, when we have a perfectly good bed waiting."

Truthfully, he wasn't all that sure himself. But there was something comforting about the smell of dust and old books that permeated the air as he slept.

Hermione who was seated at the table beckoned for him to take the seat beside her and he did just that. The witch gave him a smile as she passed him a plate.

"Did you sleep well?"

He gave her a nod as he reached for a mug.

"I was wondering," she started. "If you'd want to go over the fourth year curriculum later? If you're going to be attending Hogwarts with us, you'll need to be caught up."

"I suppose that would be nice," he acknowledged as he poured some water from a pitcher into his mug.

"Good," she nodded. "We can look over the books after breakfast."

Toshiro agreed and glanced to the end of the table where Harry and Arthur were discussing the logistics of getting to the hearing with an idea struck him.

"Do you mind if I join you? I won't attend the hearing but going into the city would be rather useful."

Mr. Weasley hesitated for a moment as he played with his fork. "Well…It's a pretty big area. If you got lost or something happened…"

"I assure you that I'll be fine."

"I suppose it would be alright then," the man nodded as he finally set down the utensil.

"Dad, I'll go with him," Ron called suddenly, startling Hermione who looked up as he came in. "I can help him, he doesn't know his way around. Plus, no one else will be able to see him anyway. If I go with him we can pick him up some clothes."

"Actually, that's a very good idea," Mrs. Weasley agreed as she flicked her wand and the dishes began to wash themselves. "Then you can meet up afterwards and head back together."

"But wait," Ginny started from the doorway, backed by her brothers. "So if you can't be seen without magic in the air, if you wear normal clothes, won't people see them?"

The Shinigami glared over at Potter's little group earning a few embarrassed looks.

"We had to tell them," Hermione protested. "_Everyone_ knew except for Fred, George and Ginny. That's hardly fair!"

"Besides," Fred said, waving off his concerns as he sat down. "It's bloody amazing!"

George nodded in agreement, his mouth stuff full of potato that he'd scooped off a stray plate.

Toshiro sighed and he rolled his eyes as he took a sip of his drink. "Fine, tell the whole world why don't you. It's not exactly a secret anymore."

George opened his mouth to say something but stopped when he saw the look of warning sent his way.

"Anyway," Hitsugaya continued as he set down his cup. "I can see why you'd make that assumption, but the particles that I'm made would overlap with the clothing making them invisible as well. After I take them off it would take a few moments but they would become visible without the constant contact with my skin."

Everyone gave him an understanding nod despite the fact that he was sure they had no idea what he was talking about.

"Sounds uh…interesting," Sirius commented as he entered the room and took a seat beside Harry. "Weird. But…interesting."

* * *

When the day of the hearing finally arrived the entire household was rather tense…well, the part of the household that was actually _awake._

Breakfast was a rushed affair to the point where Harry only had time to get down a bit of toast before he was rushed out the door. Toshiro who'd forgone eating all together, following quickly after with Ron at his side. It was a bit of a surprise, but they'd be taking the 'muggle' way to the Ministry instead of flooing there. This suited Toshiro just fine, in fact he preferred it. It was a bit unnerving to step into a fire in order to get about.

Riding the train with Mr. Weasley was…interesting to say the least. The man seemed fascinated by the most normal things that he could spot. Other than a bit of an incident involving a parking meter the trip went smoothly. They also saved money on the train seeing as they only needed to buy three tickets instead of four. Well, there was a bit of an issue with seating. The taicho wasn't sure his legs would ever be the same after that woman sat on him.

When they reached downtown the group parted ways, Mr. Weasley, pulling Harry around the block while the seemingly alone Ron strolled down the street, occasionally stopping to glance into some windows.

Walking the streets with Ron by his side was a rather odd feeling but really, it was the redhead with the short end of the stick.

"Toshiro?" Ron whispered quietly. "You still there?"

People gave him odd looks as they passed before they averted their eyes and went about their own business. Toshiro tugged at his sleeve to let him know that he was still there as they turned into a small shop on the corner of the main street. As Ron went about picking up things he thought that the white haired boy would like, Toshiro pulled out his communicator happy to have it finally work.

It took a moment for anyone to pick up but when they did he was greeted by the lovely face of Kurotsuchi taicho.

"Oh,' the other said flatly. "It's you."

"Don't sound so enthusiastic," Hitsugaya said, rolling his eyes as he did.

"What do you want?" the other asked testily.

"To speak with the Yamamoto, I need an extension for the mission."

The odd scientist's eyes seemed to suddenly light up at the news. "You mean you'll be staying in the world of the living?"

"If Suotaicho agrees…"

"Another ten months?" the man asked quickly.

"Well, yes. I—

"I'll speak with him," the other suddenly said, the screen going blank and the hold signal flashing brightly across it.

The taicho frowned down at the device, wondering what exactly had the other so excited. It took a few moments for Kurotsuchi to reappear but when he did a smile adorned his face, a rather rare sight.

"It's all set; you'll be required to report in whenever possible and you'll be expected to return at the end of June."

Hitsugaya glared. "How did you get his approval so quickly? …And what has you all worked up?"

"Nothing," the man denied, his hand straying to a piece of paper lying on his desk. "I simply spoke with him and informed him of the situation. Now, seeing as I assisted you, I'll be needing a favour."

"What do you want?"

"Nothing too big, just your approval on something. I've taken the liberty of signing your signature—

"You _forged_ my signature?"

"I didn't forge it," Kurotsuchi hissed back. "I simply signed _for_ you."

"Just what the hell are you up to?" Toshiro growled; his eyes flashing as he glared.

"I'm afraid that's classified," the man sniffed. "You'll have to fill out the proper paperwork and apply for clearance."

"Well," the boy snapped. "Why don't you just do it _for_ me considering you're so _adept_ at forging my writing?"

"I don't appreciate the tone you're taking with me. Now, you've wasted enough of my time. _Some _of us have actual work to do."

And with that the line went dead.

Toshiro huffed as he stuffed the communicator into his back pocket. With a quick glance he noticed that Ron was holding two shirts whispering something about plaid or solid. The taicho sighed as he walked over and tugged on the green plaid button up.

The redhead nodded as he continued to pick up articles of clothing, replacing the ones that Toshiro left alone and adding the ones he tugged onto the ever growing pile.

A few pairs of various pants and shorts later along with a pair of shoes Toshiro pulled a cloth bag from his pocket, making sure that no one was looking before dumping the money out into Ron's hand. Without the contact of the bag the money slowly faded into existence.

As they went to pay the taicho noticed how the cashier's eyes seemed to stray to where he was standing, squinting as if struggling to see. The Shinigami waved to her idly as he followed Ron out of the store.

The woman's eyes widened as she lifted a hand to hesitantly wave back.

As they began walking back towards where they'd broken off from Harry and Mr. Weasley Ron became visibly nervous. He continued to fidget with the bags hanging from his arms as his eyes jumped from one thing to another, clearly not focusing on anything in particular. After having to save the redhead from slamming into streets signs twice, Toshiro poked him in the side, a little startled when the redhead jumped letting out a small yelp when he did.

"Jesus, Toshiro. Don't do that to me."

A small girl stared as she walked by, her hand clinging to her mother's. The woman cast a wary look in Ron's direction before hitching her purse more securely over her should and picking up her pace.

It was a few moments before Mr. Weasley and Harry reappeared from around the corner, both looking utterly relieved.

"So?" Ron called as he hurried over.

"I'm not expelled," Harry practically gushed as a smile spread across his face.

The two suddenly lunged at one another, enveloping the other in a hug. They were giggling like little girls earning even more odd glances from the passers by.

"Come along you two…" Mr. Weasley suddenly trailed off, looking around. "Is um…Toshiro here?" A look of worry suddenly overtook his face. "Ron, you didn't lose him did you?"

"No!" the man's son snapped. "He's right here…somewhere."

Mr. Weasley began to cautiously reach out, clearly looking for the taicho. Hitsugaya sighed from his place a few feet away before he finally took pity on the man. One tug on a sleeve later and they were headed back to the train, everyone feeling just a little lighter.

* * *

A few more days passed relatively quickly, but the house seemed brighter. It was as if Harry's expulsion hanging over everyone's heads alone had continued to darken the house despite their best efforts to clean it up. The layers of dust even seemed thinner.

It was about two weeks later when the peace was once again disturbed. Sirius's mood had taken a nose dive as they'd progressed further into August. With only two days left booklists still hadn't arrived but the criminal had taken to lurking in dark corners and rooms like some sort of bat. It was a little creepy actually. You'd think you were alone only to turn and see him staring out at you from the shadows.

There'd been a bit of an accident involving such an encounter with Toshiro who'd had Hyorinmaru clutched firmly in his hand. Needless to say, the _reparo_ charm had been needed along with some frostbite remedies.

The next morning came to find a properly thawed Sirius and several letters delivered by owl.

The entire experience started with a shriek.

A rather _loud_ shriek.

Mrs. Weasley's to be precise.

It seemed that Ron had been made a prefect along with Hermione. And while he didn't exactly see what the fuss was about the Toshiro still congratulated the two before picking up the letter addressed to him that was set on the table.

He stared down at the familiar envelope, his mind flipping back to when he'd first received one over a year and a half ago. He slid a fingernail under the seal, ripping it open to reveal the list of school supplies he'd need for the fifth year at Hogwarts.

"How're you going to pull it off?" Ron asked as he leaned over his shoulder to glance down at the letter. A smile as spread across his face at the thought of the new broom he would be getting.

"I mean, you don't exactly look the part. And you're going to have to catch up on everything."

The taicho shrugged as he tossed aside the letter. "I'll come up with something. Aren't there any curses or spells that affect aging?"

The redhead frowned. "Well, yeah I guess."

"Then problem solved," Toshiro nodded

"We'll have a party," Mrs. Weasley exclaimed, cutting off whatever Ron was going to say. "Nothing fancy, but a celebration is in order!"

Everyone seemed to agree with the idea as she went about starting dinner despite the fact that they were barely into the afternoon.

"I want all of you in your best," she called.

Toshiro frowned down at his pair of already scruffed jeans. Between the dust that still coated the rooms that he was inclined to explore and crawling through all of the stone passages he'd discovered to be lining them, he'd managed to almost wear holes through the knees.

Ron seemed to notice his glance and clapped him on the back. "I accidentally took some of your stuff up to my room. There's another pair of jeans and some shirts I think."

The taicho followed the redhead up into his bedroom watching as he rummaged through his trunk before pulling out the shopping bag he thrown in without a second thought. He pulled out a pair of jeans and held them up.

"Reckon these'll be good?"

"I'm sure hey'll suffice."

Ron nodded as he tossed the pants onto his bed before going about looking for a shirt for the occasion. "Well, uh…how have you been?"

Toshiro resisted the urge to laugh at the awkward tone. "I've been fine. So, you've been made a prefect?"

Ron nodded as he slowly straightened himself, a green plaid button up clasped in his hands.

"Yeah." He answered quietly.

"And you're…happy?" The taicho asked as he took a seat on what he assumed to be Harry's bed.

"Well, yeah, of course," the redhead answered.

"You don't sound too sure," Toshiro observed as he sat back.

"It's just…" Ron trailed off, looking unsure of himself.

"You thought it would be Harry?"

"Well yeah!" he exclaimed as he tossed the new shirt to lie beside the pair of jeans. "Harry's brilliant, and I'm…not," he finished lamely, seeming to deflate before the Shinigami's eyes as he slumped down onto his bed.

"I always thought it'd be Harry. It's _always_ Harry. And now it's like he's mad at me and I don't want him to 'cause I know it should've been—

"It _shouldn't_ have been him." Toshiro interrupted shortly. "Harry might very well be brilliant, but that doesn't mean that you've not brilliant yourself."

"He's fought You Know Who and he was the youngest Seeker Gryffindor ever had."

"Achievements aren't all that Dumbledore looks at," the taicho sighed. "Bravery is a fine trait to have, but there's more to a person than that. And I doubt being Seeker would have anything to do with it. All it really equates to is that he has fast reflexes and can handle a broom. Something I don't doubt that you can do as well," he added with knowing glance. "You aren't Potter, and no one expects or wants you to be. One is enough."

Ron laughed as he stared up at the ceiling "I guess."

"And he's not mad, he's just sulking," Toshiro said, brushing off his pants as he stood. "If you hadn't noticed, he tends to do that a lot."

When the duo made it downstairs almost everyone was eating lunch in the kitchen crowded around the table yet Mrs. Weasley was still toiling away over the stove preparing dinner. After lunch was served the group divided themselves amongst the many rooms of the old Black residence. The Weasley children along with Hermione were off together in one of the main rooms talking about inconsequential things to pass the time while the adults were huddled up in the drawing room discussing matters that they had deemed unfit for young ears.

With this in mind Toshiro began walking through the halls, peering into the empty rooms in search of the missing Harry. The teen had been acting rather strangely that morning and whether it was just nerves or otherwise remained to be seen. Either way, Ron was clearly thinking that it had something to do with him and sense he'd spoken with him; he might as well sort things out with Harry as well.

After searching several rooms and only finding Creature scurrying around in a closet apparently trying to avoid being caught smuggling an old locket to his lair…den-nest- whatever he lived in, the Shinigami found Harry sitting on the window seat of one of the back rooms.

"Hiding?"

A shoulder shrug later and Toshiro shut the door quietly, the only light now spilling in from the bay window.

"Jealous are we?"

"No," Harry growled as he kicked his sock covered foot at the hardwood.

"Well, I think you are."

"_Well_," the other spat, his fingers digging into the cushions. "I _know _I'm not."

Toshiro frowned as he sat down beside the teen, keeping a fair bit of distance between them.

"It's understandable, if you do feel that way," he continued, his eyes staring straight at his shadow that cut across the floor. "Ron is…capable. But even I can see the gap between the two of you when it comes to your magical abilities. It must seem odd when thus far, you've always trumped him."

"That- that's not it," Harry muttered.

Teal eyes glanced over at him, a small smirk cracking across the pale face like old paint. "That may be so, but that's not what Ron is thinking."

Harry hesitated for a moment before speaking. "It's not that I'm…jealous. And Ron's _brilliant_," he added defensively. "I just…I wouldn't be bothered normally…"

"It's just that everything is adding up, and you're tired," Hitsugaya supplied. "So you're taking it out on your friends."

Green eyes flashed angrily behind thick glasses.

"I never said you were doing it on purpose," he said placating. "But that doesn't change the fact that you are, to put it into your terms, being a _bloody git_."

"It's just…a lot," Harry sighed as he pressed his face into his palm.

"It is," Toshiro nodded. "But like all things, it will pass. Just be careful, because when it does you might not have any friends left to enjoy it with."

"Did…you speak with Ron?"

"I did," the Shinigami answered. "And he's not angry, just confused. And a little hurt. I suggest you try to sort things out."

Harry nodded in agreement as he stood. "So when did you become the mediator?"

"When you all decided to forgo growing up," he smirked as he watched the teen slowly being swallowed by shadows.

"It was easier being a child," he heard Harry mutter.

"It almost always is," he conceded as he stayed sitting. "But you're doing fine so far. You just needed a push in the right direction."

"You don't push, you shove," the teen said as he opened the door.

"Ah, well let's just hope I never steer you wrong."

Harry turned to stare back at him, his face barely visible under the shadows cast across that side of the room.

"I don't think we'll have to worry about that."

And with that he slipped from the room, hopefully off in search of his best friend. Toshiro sighed as he leaned against the cool glass of the window. There was something off about Harry Potter. Something so very _wrong_ that it almost seemed to permeate the air around him. The taicho sighed as he ran a hand down his face.

Wizards were far more trouble than they were worth.

* * *

Dear Readers,

So…it's been a while. Two months? I've been very, _very_ busy to say the least. A lot's happened…a little too much. But everything's fine now which is nice. School's picked up with the end of the year drawing near so I've been amazingly busy with all the final projects. Summer's just about here. It'd been really cold lately but suddenly I woke up one morning and it was summer weather. No more rain or clouds just…sun. I'm a little scared. Time seems to have…drifted away on me again. Thanks for reading,

ForeverFalling.


	8. Reunion

A/N: Hey everyone! How have you been? Good I hope. Thanks to all those who reviewed, it really does make my day to read them all and I'm sorry about the delay on that last chapter.

* * *

**Over 300 Reviews! **

**You'll all just amazing. **

* * *

_There was something off about Harry Potter. Something so very wrong that it almost seemed to permeate the air around him. The taicho sighed as he ran a hand down his face. _

_Wizards were far more trouble than they were worth. _

* * *

That evening the party that Mrs. Weasley had planned came together nicely.

Lupin appeared just as the sun was setting, looking a little worn but not entirely horrible. Moody turned up soon after with Mundungus not far behind. Tonks and Kingsley showed up together having just come off of a shift.

Before everyone had begun arriving Mrs. Weasley had slipped out to Diagon Alley to buy all of the books that they'd be needing and picked up Ron's new broom as well.

"Isn't it great?" the redhead said in awe as he ran a hand over the polished handle.

"Its…lovely," Toshiro nodded but Harry could tell that the boy didn't really get the fuss.

When he turned to face him Harry gave him a smile. "It's a wizard thing."

"Must be," he heard the other mutter before Tonks came trotting over to steal away his attention.

Harry sighed as he grabbed a butterbeer and took a seat, a little tired from the day's events.

Hermione was chatting with Professor Lupin about Merlin knew what and the twins were talking to Mundungus about one thing or another that probably wasn't entirely legal.

He let his eyes slip closed as he yawned into his hand, contemplating heading up to bed early. When he finally glanced up it was to the sight of Moody standing directly in front of him, staring down with his mismatched eyes.

* * *

Toshiro huffed as he once again shoved away Tonks' hand from his head. The woman seemed to have a pension for touching his hair and it was messy enough without her meddling around with it.

It was getting rather late into the night and the party seemed to be reaching its end. Sirius had long fallen asleep in an armchair and Hermione and gone up to her room about an hour ago. Ginny was curled up with her head on Fred's leg fast asleep while Fred seemed to be drifting off as well. George was…well actually, he wasn't sure _where_ George was.

"Well," Mrs. Weasley said as she stood. "I'm heading up to bed. Make sure everyone makes it up there alright?"

Her husband gave a nod from his place by the fire surrounded by Lupin and Shacklebolt.

"It's an early day tomorrow," she reminded before she slipped from the room.

Tonks let out a yawn from the Shinigami's side. "I reckon it's about time I left as well. Molly's right; early day tomorrow."

With another ruffle of Toshiro's white locks she stood and made her way to the door with a small wave to them all.

"Well Kingsley, might as well get going and make sure she doesn't trip on the stoop," Moody growled as he stood, his back protesting as he did. "We'll see you all bright and early."

"You're coming to the station?" Harry asked as he watched the old man leave.

"Course," was the terse reply he received before the two men left.

The taicho stood as well, deciding it was about time he left as well. He'd need to try and find where his uniform had gotten off to and make sure Hyorinmaru was in top condition if he was to be expected to guard Harry.

With a quick goodnight he made his way back to the library, welcoming the soothing smell of the books that lined the shelves.

With Hermione's assistance he was more or less caught up with the average fifth year, maybe a little ahead in fact. While he couldn't perform the spells without a wand and a lot of magic in the air, he had the theory memorised.

He lay down across the carpeted floor, his head cushioned by the pillow Molly had given him and a blanket wrapped around his body. Under the protection of the darkened room, a small smile spread across the Shinigami's face at the thought of what was to come.

Or rather, who he was to see.

* * *

The next morning started out much like the letter incident: with a shriek. Only this time, it was coming from Sirius' mother. Apparently the noise had upset the woman who had decided to vent her anger in the only way she seemed to know how. Namely, yelling profanities at the top of her lungs that would surely poison the mind of any child. It really make Toshiro question Sirius' upbringing.

As everyone else was bustling about he was standing by the bottom of the stairs waiting for them all to finally get their acts together. He'd woken that morning to realise that he didn't have any uniforms. Or a wand for that matter. It seemed that tiny, yet very important fact had slipped from his mind in all the excitement. He couldn't help but think that these people were a bad influence. Actually, they most undoubtedly were.

"Fred, George," Molly howled. "Watch out!"

The Shinigami looked up to see a levitating trunk smash into Ginny who'd been making her way down the stairs. He braced his feet and with surprising ease caught the girl in his arms before she managed to smash into the hallway floor.

"Are you alright?" he asked, as he helped her stand.

A blush spread across the teen's face as she spluttered, "Y-yeah. I'm- I'm so sorry!"

Mrs. Weasley was in the middle of a tirade, yelling about magic and various death threats to her twin sons as Ginny thanked him before rushing back up the stairs with a rather murderous look on her face that bespoke of pain in her brothers' near future.

When everyone was finally ready and down in the hall a little worn, some a little bloody, and a few just fed up, they made their way out of the house and into a car.

"Do you always travel to the station like this?" Hitsugaya asked as he was squished up against the door by Ron.

"Not normally," the redhead answered as the luggage was stuffed into the trunk.

"Hey," he started, glancing down at the taicho. "Where's you stuff?"

"I didn't really bring anything. Well, besides Hyorinmaru." He said, holding up the katana that had been situated in his lap.

"Y…Yeah," Ron nodded. "But you packed your clothes?"

"They're in my trunk," Hermione supplied. "I suppose you'll have to get some spare uniforms from the school."

"I think Neville might still have all of your things," Harry piped up. "He was really ticked that you just dumped it all on him."

"I didn't just 'dump it all on him'," Toshiro sniffed. "I simply left it on the platform. If he decided to pick them up, well that was his own choice. I asked him to do no such thing. I had no further use for such possessions."

Sirius snuffled from his place on the floor. Whether it was supposed to be a laugh or not, the taicho quirked a slender eyebrow before looking away.

"Do they allow dogs in the station? In my experience, dogs aren't normally permitted in public facilities."

"Well," Harry started. "That's normally the rule but…uh…"

"As I thought," Lupin sighed from the other seat ahead of them. "I told you Sirius, you should have stayed."

The dog gave an offended sounding yip before he jumped over the seat to sit by his friend's side.

Kingsley grunted as he got a lap full of dog before he shifted to give Sirius some more room. Moody growled as the dark skinned wizard bumped into him and Toshiro couldn't imagine how crowded it would have been if the other guard had turned up. Apparently a man by the name of Podmore had skipped out on his duty for the day.

When they arrived at the station the aurors quickly set out to 'secure the area' as they put it but to Toshiro the area looked anything but secure.

It'd been decided that his active guard duty would begin the moment they arrived at the station. Unlike the before, Harry was well away that the Shinigami would be guarding him. His reaction to the whole situation was unknown to Hitsugaya as of yet but he was sure he'd be getting an earful later.

Yet at the moment, he wasn't at all concerned about what Potter had to say. In fact, he might have been saying something at that very moment but his words were carried away on the soft, late summer breeze. As much as he tried to deny it, the taicho found himself inexplicably excited. Maybe…nervous even. It was rather comparable to the tingling sensation he felt before heading into battle. It was excitement, adrenaline, and nerves all rolled into one.

As everyone went about loading up the trolleys he stood off to the side, Hyorinmaru grasped tightly in his hand. The people who were all rushing to their various trains for the midmorning commute rushed passed without even seeing him and yet somehow they all avoided a collision.

There was a theory in the twelfth division that the Living could somehow feel whenever a Shinigami was present-some sort of long forgotten survival instinct maybe-and that it manifested in their ability to avoid touching them. There'd been a few experiments conducted where one Shinigami was placed in a crowd of people. It had been compared to Moses parting the waters of the Red Sea in the report. The analogy was lost on some, but all those who had taken the time to truly study the Living's theory on the afterlife in the Academy had understood it well enough. Yet, when put in a gigai, the phenomenon no longer occurred. Some people were still rather distrusting, but the Shinigami involved in the experiment had more or less been accepted by all those around him.

"Toshiro?" Mrs. Weasley suddenly called out, as she glanced around the area clearly looking for any signs of his location. "We've got to get going…maybe…you should go in first?"

The taicho listened to her suggestion, not bothering to hide his Zanpakuto from sight as he walked through the barrier. Almost everyone had seen it during his last stay at Hogwarts.

Besides, hiding a four foot long katana wasn't exactly the easiest thing to do.

A little boy gave a yelp as the magic began to cling to the taicho, slowly bringing him to existence in front of the boy's wide brown orbs. The Shinigami gave a nod to the child as he slipped Hyorinmaru onto his rightful place across his back.

The rest of the group arrived quickly after and Tonks was now with them when he'd been sure that she hadn't been in their little parade of people before. The young woman lit up when she saw him and easily bound over to where he was standing.

"Toshiro! You got new clothes? They look so cute on you!"

"Toshiro?" A rather familiar voice asked from within the crowd.

The Shinigami turned to find Neville slowly pushing his way past the people, their eyes meeting for the first time in over a year and a half.

"Is…that you?"

The white haired boy nodded as he looked up at what he hoped to still be his friend.

"You…you look the exact same." He stuttered out, rather shocked.

"And you have you gotten much, _much_ taller." The Shinigami said flatly.

"What- what are you doing here?" the other asked, his eyes falling on Harry's little gang who was watching the scene unfold.

"I'm here on another mission," Toshiro answered. "I'm here for another year."

"For… the whole school year?"

The taicho nodded.

Neville stared blankly for a moment before a fire seemed to light behind his eyes. "You- you where just _gone_! I had to carry your trunk _and _your cat! What the hell?"

Toshiro shrugged, "You were leaving anyway, and I had no need of those things. I thought you'd throw them away or something."

"I wasn't just going to throw them away, and they were your things. Your damn _heavy_ things!"

"I had no use for them," the taicho sighed.

"Well neither did I!"

"Then you should have gotten rid of them," Toshiro snapped.

"I already told you I couldn't get rid of it all!"

"You're the one repeating yourself." He pointed out angrily.

"Just shut up you freak, I missed you!"

"I missed you as well you utter _fool_!" He spat.

And with that Neville pulled him into a back cracking hug as if he were greeting a long lost brother.

"Well," Tonks muttered as she took a step back. "That was…interesting."

"They're an odd pair," Ron nodded as his trunk was lifted onto the train.

"It's so good to see you," Neville laughed as he set Toshiro back down on his feet.

"It's been far too long," the boy agreed as Neville grabbed his trunk and a potted plant he'd set aside.

"What year are you going to be in?"

"Fifth."

The taller of the two glanced down at the smaller. "How…are you going to pull that off? You look exactly like you did back then. And even in third year you barely passed for thirteen."

Toshiro gave him a withering look as he helped his friend load his trunk onto the train. "I'll simply say I had a run in with a jinx that affects my age."

"I guess that'd work," Neville conceded. "People's hair gets turned all sorts of weird colours from jinxes, so that'd help."

Hitsugaya hummed in agreement before glancing around. "And where's Ran?"

"Ah," Neville chuckled as they climbed onto the train. "He's back with Gran. He absolutely loves her. They like to sit together in the mornings when she's reading her novels. She spoils him rotten."

"Do you know how Luna's been?" he asked as Neville looked for an empty compartment.

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" The brunette said as he ducked into the nearest one.

The taicho huffed as he followed after the teen. "Well, I would if I—

As luck would have it, sitting inside the compartment with a copy of the Quibbler clutched in her grasp was none other than Luna Lovegood.

"Oh," she started as her eyes locked with his. "I got you two gifts over the summer. It's quite lovely to see you both again."

Toshiro smirked at the familiar dreamy voice as he took a seat.

"It's nice to see you again as well. Although it seems that you were expecting me."

A small smile spread across her face before she disappeared behind her magazine.

"So Neville," the taicho started. "What exactly is that plant?"

"It's actually really brilliant it's—

Just then the compartment door flew open with a loud clatter to reveal Ginny and Harry standing in the gaping doorway.

"Ah, this is where you went off to," The witch noted, her eyes settling on the white haired boy. "I hope you don't mind if we sit here…?"

"I suppose it'd be fine," the taicho answered "Well at least, I don't have a problem with it."

"By all means," Neville nodded, while Luna remained immersed in her magazine which now that Toshiro really looked, was upside down.

"Potter, this is Luna Lovegood. I'm sure Ginny already knows her from class."

"Nice to meet you," Harry said kindly, a small smile on his face.

Blue eyes peaked out from behind the magazine. "_You're_ Harry Potter."

"Uh…yes. Yes I am," he answered, quickly glancing over at Toshiro who simply shrugged.

"So how was your summer Luna?" Ginny asked as she settled in.

"Quite lovely, thank you."

"Anyway," the Shinigami sighed. "You were saying about your plant…?"

"Oh yeah," Neville nodded excitedly. "I got it for my birthday. It's a Mimbulus mimbletonia. It's really, really rare."

Hitsugaya leaned in to get a closer look at the little plant. "Does it have any medicinal uses?"

"Oh loads, I'm going to look in the library to really determine what I can do with it though."

Harry looked as if he'd just swallowed a lemon as he stared down at the plant that really was _quiet _ugly. "Does the plant itself actually do anything?"

"It's got these great self defence mechanisms," Neville gushed as he set aside Trevor who'd been perched in his lap and pulled a quill from his bag.

"Here, I'll show you."

"Self defence mechanisms…?" Toshiro trailed off as his friend held the quill to the mimbletonia.

"But doesn't that mean it'll—

The taicho who'd already been leaning forward in his seat dove to the floor as a foul smelling green sap of some sort erupted from the plant.

"Neville," Toshiro growled as he stood, covering his nose with his sleeve as he did.

"Uh…whoops," the teen muttered as he wiped the sap from his eyes. "I'd never tried that before."

"Clearly," the Shinigami hissed, just grateful he'd been spared.

The others unfortunately, hadn't been so lucky. As Harry choked out a mouthful of green and Ginny began wiping off her want the compartment door slid open to reveal a girl of Asian descent standing there with a look of wonder and revulsion.

"I uh…came by to see Harry. But…it's clearly a bad time."

The door bagged back into place as Harry let out a loud groan. "Now of all times?"

"Cho Chang I take it?" Toshiro enquired as Ginny easily cleaned up the mess with a quick spell.

"How'd you know?" the green eyed teen asked curiously.

"You spent the better part of a half hour describing her hair _alone_. I could have probably painted her portrait without ever laying eyes on the girl."

Harry shot him a slightly offended look before settling back in his seat.

"Oh, Toshiro," Neville called as he dug through his bag. "I brought it all last year as well just in case."

When he withdrew his hand he had a small miniature trunk clutched in his grasp.

"Is that…?"

"Your stuff that you just _left _on the platform for _me_ to take care of?" Neville asked as he handed over the trunk.

"Why yes, yes it is."

"I'll have you know that sarcasm is rather unbecoming."

* * *

Ron and Hermione turned up barely an hour later just after the food trolley had been through. The two had apparently been in the prefect's carriage for a quick briefing of sorts.

"Of course Malfoy is for Slytherin," Ron sneered as he viciously bit into a chocolate frog.

The discussion continued for quite some time until it seemed everyone had run out of things to say. Ginny eventually disappeared off when a friend had called on her leaving the rest of them to sit in relative silence. Harry seemed to be dozing off but considering he hadn't been sleeping well it wasn't all that surprising.

"So, can you tell me what kind of mission you're on?" Neville whispered as Toshiro leaned against the cool glass of the window.

"I'm guarding Harry."

"_Again_?"

"Unfortunately."

Harry gave an offended shout as he reached over to smack the Shinigami on the shoulder. Toshiro slapped away his hand before it could make contact and settled back against the window once again, his eyes slipping closed as he did.

"So Dumbledore asked you then? But, how'd he get into contact with you? I thought there was no way for us to communicate with your world."

"I was already here on assignment. There'd been a disturbance in our systems and it was determined that the origin was the town I recalled Potter once saying that he lived in. Because it most likely had something to do with wizards, I was sent seeing as I've already been exposed to your world."

"Well did you figure out what it was?"

"I've still yet to determine if my assumptions are correct but at the moment, I'd say I'm ninety percent positive. Staying in the wizarding world will allow me to fully understand what happened," the taicho shrugged.

"So…you just agreed to help Dumbledore because it happened to work in your favour?"

"Of course," Toshiro nodded.

"But I thought you hated Dumbledore," Neville sighed, frustrated.

"We've come to a bit of an understanding. He was foolish when we last met. Hopefully with age he will wizen."

"You know," Ron piped up. "It's when you say stuff like that that makes you seem bloody old."

"I _am_ old," the Shinigami stressed. "Most likely the oldest person you'll ever meet."

"Doesn't mean it's not weird," the redhead grunted.

"So you're…one hundred and twenty-four now?" Hermione asked.

"No, but I will be this December."

The witch gave him an amazed look as she shook her head. "How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Just…keep going for that long."

"Time passes differently for my people. To you, a year may feel like quite a long while. But to me, a year is nothing, even decades pass rather quickly," Hitsugaya noted.

"I'm still young in comparison to most people I know so they've lived for far longer than I. To them fifty years can pass with barely their notice. We age of course, but so slowly that it can be rather indistinguishable. By the time you're old," he said, an odd sort of smile gracing his face.

"I might look the age you all are now. Humans have such short life spans."

Evening had already fallen when they reached the station.

Toshiro's trunk had been returned to its rightful size and all of its contents were unharmed. The taicho couldn't help but smile a little when he saw all of the outfits, some still unworn, that Matsumoto had packed. He'd pulled out some of the money that he'd left in a small pouch and handed it to Ron.

"Your mother paid for my books. Make sure you get this to her. I hate to think she went to such a hassle."

The uniform still fit perfectly of course, and his wand was now a reluctant companion instead of Hyorinmaru who'd he'd left on the train.

He followed Luna and Neville out to a carriage, Harry and his group apparently having decided to follow. People stared as they passed, not only at Harry but at Toshiro as well. Even the Shinigami could admit that his return must have seemed odd.

"Hey," Dean Thomas suddenly called as he leaned against the carriage that they'd found.

"You're back. I thought you moved away with your dad or something."

"I did, but as you can see, I've returned."

"Yeah," the teen nodded. "But uh…you look…"

"The same?"

Dean nodded. "Like a day hasn't passed."

"I was hit with a jinx I'm afraid. It's affected my aging apparently."

"Bloody hell," the teen whistled. "Well, if that doesn't suck I don't know what does. But uh, I'd best be off. Seamus is waiting."

"He bought it," Neville said disbelievingly as the other teen walked off.

"Of course he did," Toshiro smirked.

"Harry, is something the matter?" Hermione asked as she stared over at the teen that'd yet to climb into the carriage.

"Wh-what are they?"

"What are who?" she asked, leaning out to get a better look.

"Them! Pulling the carriage!"

"Harry," Ron started nervously. "Nothing's pulling the carriage. They pull themselves, always have."

"Its fine Potter," the white haired boy called. "You're not going insane. They're some odd creatures of Hagrid's."

Harry gave him an unsure look before nodding and climbing in.

Hogwarts it seemed was just as unaging as Toshiro was. Despite the time gone passed the school looked exactly as he remembered it. No more, no less.

"Do you want to sit with Luna?" Neville asked, as they entered the Great Hall.

"Whatever you like," the taicho answered carelessly as he followed after his friend.

Something about the school seemed different now that he was actually inside. The buzzing sensation of the magic felt odd. He reached out to run his hand over the stone wall as he passed; ignoring the stares that it earned him. Maybe Dumbledore had added more wards…? It made sense considering the circumstances.

The three of them wound up crowded together at the Ravenclaw table. The older students waved as he passed, calling out questions while the younger blatantly stared.

As he took his seat he allowed for his eyes to drift up to the head table. It seemed that Hagrid was absent but also that a new woman had joined the staff.

"Who do you think she is?" Neville asked, following his gaze.

"She's new this year?" the taicho asked as he squinted.

The teen nodded. "Yeah, I've never seen her before. Actually, I'd rather I never saw her in the first place. Not exactly easy on the eyes is she?"

Toshiro hummed in agreement as McGonagall took to the stage so to speak and began the sorting. The hat, as it had back in third year, broke into song as she placed it on her three legged stool. But the message was different this year. Its voice rang out through the silent hall preaching solidarity among houses and warning of what was to come.

'From external deathly foes?' Toshiro thought as the first child was called up. Well of course there was Voldemort. But there had to be more behind the hat's warning.

'External…' the taicho mused, his eyes locked on the night sky portrayed above them, dotting with floating candles.

When the last child had been sorted into a house-Hufflepuff-Dumbledore stood.

"To our new comers— welcome. And to our old hands—welcome back. There will be a time for speeches, but now is not the time. Tuck in!"

And with that the feast appeared, lining the table with every sort of food imaginable.

"The song was very interesting," Luna said quietly.

"Yeah," Neville agreed. "I've never heard it give warnings before. But I suppose that's part of its job."

"I doubt that this school can achieve the solidarity and unity that the Sorting Hat was speaking of," Hitsugaya said as he poured himself some water. "Dividing you was a mistake and giving you labels like 'that smart ones' or the 'cunning' only served to further the animosity between you all. It's little wonder that you're as separated as you are."

"Hey," Neville protested. "I like to think that I'm friends with people regardless of their house. I was friends with you while you were in Ravenclaw wasn't I? And I'm still friends with Luna. And I know a bunch of people from Hufflepuff."

"And what about Slytherin?" Toshiro asked as he set down his glass.

"Well…they're different."

"You shouldn't set a standard that I have no doubt is based upon Malfoy's little brigade of idiots. That, Neville, is what we call stereotyping."

His friend shot him a glare as he began eating, affectively ending the conversation.

When everyone had had their fill and the feast was done the plates were cleared away as Dumbledore took to his podium. Toshiro had lifted away his cup of tea just in time to save it from whatever spell transported the dishes down to the kitchens earning a chuckle from Neville.

"Well, now that we are all digesting another magnificent feast…"

Everyone settled in for the normal rules to be reiterated and Hitsugaya allowed for his eyes to slip closed as he sipped his tea. Earl Gray wasn't really to his liking but it was far better than some of the deathly sweet ones that people also seemed to favour.

"We'll be having two changes of staff this year. We are very pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank who will be taking Care of Magical Creatures. And we also welcome Professor Umbridge, our new Defence against the Dark Arts teacher."

"She should go _hide_ under a bridge," one of the Ravenclaws muttered quietly as a few people clapped.

"Now," Dumbledore continued. "Tryout for the house Quidditch teams…

When Toshiro heard a small cough he cracked one eye open to see the rather ugly new woman looking expectantly at the headmaster. When Dumbledore continued on with his notices she once again coughed into her hand trying to make it look dainty and feminine but really it just looked like she was choking on a fishbone.

With one final, cringe worthy hack Dumbledore finally turned to stare at the woman.

"Why thank you headmaster," she tittered as she stood.

Neville muttered as she so _graciously_ shoved aside the headmaster to stand at the podium.

"She looks like a toad or something."

Toshiro couldn't help but agree.

"Why, it's lovely to be back at Hogwarts and to see such happy little faces looking up at me."

Actually, it looked as if the student body at large was suffering from a bought of nausea.

As she started in on her speech most of the students began to tune out, a glazed look overtaking their eyes. Toshiro on the hand set down his tea and began listening intently.

Umbridge had suddenly taken on a rather business like air, her voice carrying across the Great Hall. The taicho reached for his tea only to discover that it had vanished into thin air. A small growl escaped from his throat as he looked to Neville who only shrugged innocently.

The speech-tirade-lecture lasted quite a while. Long enough that a few of the younger students dozed off in their seats. When she finally wrapped it up Dumbledore clapped politely which apparently broke whatever spell had befallen the entire school. The teachers all joined him, most only clapping once before they resettled themselves.

"Well," Dumbledore started as he stood once again having taken a seat when Umbridge had gotten the ball rolling.

"As I was saying, Quidditch tryouts will be…"

"That was…," Neville trailed off, as if unsure as to what to call it.

"Interesting," the Shinigami finished for him.

"It was," Luna agreed. "I wonder what she'll do."

"Nothing good I'm sure."

The girl hummed in agreement as the school was dismissed to bed.

"We'll see you tomorrow," Neville called as he pulled Toshiro along to beat the crowd.

The Shinigami could hear Ron and Hermione calling for the first years as he was tugged along.

As it turned out they were in the same room, with the exact same sleeping arrangements. Toshiro's trunk had been set at the foot of his bed with Hyorinmaru tucked safely away in it. Dean and Seamus were the next to show up, greeting them with a handshake and a clap on the back.

"Good to see you man," Seamus laughed as he patted him on the shoulder. "Always nice to see an old face."

Harry appeared next and for some reason Seamus looked away and tried to busy himself with hanging posters on his wall.

"Hey Harry," Dean greeted. "Nice holiday?"

"Ah, not bad. You?"

"Can't complain. Better than Seamus' going by what he was telling me on the way up here."

"What happened?" Neville asked worriedly as he set down his plant on his bedside table. "Is everything alright?"

"My mum didn't want me coming back," was the reluctant reply.

"Why?" Harry asked, astonished.

"'Cause of you I guess."

"_Me_?"

"Well, not just you, Dumbledore as well…" Seamus trailed off, looking anywhere but at Harry.

It all went downhill from there and soon enough a shouting match had broken out between the two. Toshiro stood with a sigh and made his way over to the pair as Ron came into the room, looking from the furious Harry to the red faced Seamus.

"What's going on?"

"He's having a go at my mother!" Seamus shouted as he pointed accusingly at Harry.

"What? Harry wouldn't do that. We met your mother— we liked her."

Harry's eyes narrowed viciously as he glared. "That was before—

"All of you be _quiet_," Toshiro hissed.

"Stay out of this," the two shouted.

"You've been gone for a year," Harry started. "You've got no—

"I may have been gone but I know when two people are making fools of themselves. Now lie down, shut up, and go to bed."

The two looked at him disbelievingly.

"You can't just order us around!" Harry protested.

The Shinigami frowned as he motioned for Harry to come closer. The teen reluctantly listened and leaned forward so that he was level with the boy. The green eyed teen froze when the cold whisper met his ear.

"I'll have you know that I can order you around as I see fit. I not only have seniority over you, but Dumbledore has entrusted you to me."

Harry back-pedalled rubbing at his ear that had gone numb as he did.

"Fine."

"Everyone is tired," the dead boy said flatly. "I think it's about time we all went to bed. Lest we do something that we'll regret."

The room was more or less silent after that.

* * *

The next morning was…awkward. Seamus practically ran from the room the moment he was decent and Harry kept shooting glares in Toshiro's direction. The Shinigami took no notice of the dirty looks because really, he'd had worse.

"I wonder what classes we'll have," Neville said as he bit back a yawn.

"I'll have the same as Potter," the white haired boy answered as they made their way to the Great Hall. "But I expect you'll have the same as well. There's not much room for variation."

"True."

Breakfast was already underway as they took their seats at the Gryffindor table. Neville grabbed a plate and began filling it with eggs and bacon while the taicho made himself some tea and grabbed a slice of watermelon. When it seemed as if everyone was finally there McGonagall began handing out the timetables. She nodded to Toshiro as she handed him his and moved on to the others.

"Double potions," Neville groaned sadly "I'm dead."

"I'll help you, you'll be fine. Double Defence against the Dark Arts as well," he added as he set down his sheet to sip his tea.

"And Divination," Neville said as he read over the paper. "This has to be the worst schedule ever."

"Oh, I don't know," Hitsugaya sighed. "Divination isn't completely terrible."

"That's because you cheat!"

He shrugged as Neville huffed and tossed aside his paper.

Toshiro glanced up from his breakfast a few minutes later as a girl that wasn't Luna sat down across from them with a large smile plastered on her face. He looked back to his meal only to find her still staring after about a minute.

"Can we help you?" he asked as he gently set aside his cup.

The auburn haired girl leaned forward slightly before glancing around them furtively as if worried she'd be caught. Neville looked in the direction that she was staring in before she turned back to face them.

"The cat is in the bag," she whispered conspiratorially, cupping her hand to hide her lips from the other students at the table.

"I beg your pardon?" the Shinigami asked, eyebrows almost disappearing into his hairline.

The girl pouted as she thought her words over. "The…eagle has landed?"

The taicho tapped a pale finger against the wooden surface of the table, exchanging a look with Neville.

"I really have no idea what you're trying to get at."

The girl huffed as she crossed her arms. "Give me a minute. I'll think of something."

"_What _is she talking about?" Neville hissed quietly into his friend's ear, eyes still fixed on the odd girl who was clearly trying to think of something.

"I have no idea," Toshiro muttered back, vaguely wondering if her mind had been addled due to a blow to the head.

"Oh," the girl yelped out suddenly, taking the two by surprise and almost making Neville knock over a pitcher of pumpkin juice.

Actually, there was something rather familiar about her Toshiro thought as he frowned. The way she pouted her lips when she frowned.

"The dragon…"

Just the way she carried herself in general actually.

"Is in..."

Although overall the only real odd thing about her appearance was the fact that she was rather well endowed for an eleven—

"The sky."

His thoughts can to a screeching halt as teal eyes locked with grey, almost the colour of summer storm clouds.

"Ah," she laughed, flicking her hair over her shoulder smoothly.

"I knew you'd get that one, _taicho_."

* * *

Dear Readers,

I skipped the boggart scene. Why? Because it really does nothing for the plot. And it feels so cliché to have it. Mrs. Weasley goes up, Toshiro hears her crying and goes to help and then lo and behold he faces his worst fear only to be interrupted by the others who step in and save him. Then everyone 'angsts' about how they don't really know much about him. Yeah, I'm not going there. I wanted Neville, Luna and Toshiro's reunion to seem rather…seamless. Because with real friendships, it doesn't matter how much time has passed, you just seem to be able to pick up right where you left off. I feel as though I've been ignoring Hermione…I'll have to fix that. Thanks for reading,

ForeverFalling.


	9. The Jewelless Toad

A/N: Hey everyone! How have you been? Good I hope! Thanks to all those who reviewed, it really makes my day to read them all and I'm quite sorry about the delay on this.

**OVER 400 REVIEWS!**

**Thank you all so much.**

**PS. There's a pole concerning a possible sequel to this running. Depending on results I'll have a note discussing it some time. **

* * *

"Matsumoto," Toshiro hissed as he leaned forward in his seat. "_What_ are you doing here?"

The woman turned young girl smiled over at him blindingly as if not having a care in the world. "I've come to see _you_ of course taicho."

"So... you know her?" Neville asked as he eyed the girl warily. There was something about her. Something familiar. As he glanced over at his friend he suddenly realised that they both exuded the same feeling. It was almost foreboding, but unlike Toshiro she wasn't cold. In fact, she seemed...quite warm. The two almost complimented each other in that respect.

"Unfortunately," he said tersely.

Matsumoto frowned at him as she reached over to shake Neville's hand. "That was mean taicho."

"Taicho? I thought... your name was _Toshiro_," Neville said suspiciously as he stared at his friend, his hand still clasped in Matsumoto's.

"It _is_," Hitsugaya growled as he turned to look at his second in command hoping that she could sense his anger. "Taicho is a title."

Rangiku nodded. "It means ca—

She suddenly doubled over as Toshiro ever so kindly removed his foot from her shin.

"Are you alright?" Neville yelped as he went to stand, unsure of what had just happened.

"F-Fine," she muttered as she caught her taicho's cold gaze.

"So just who_ are_ you exactly?" Neville asked a little exasperated as he resettled himself in his seat. "And how do you know Toshiro?"

"She works with me," the younger Shinigami answered simply as he sipped his tea, teal orbs never leaving the woman. "She won't be staying for long so I wouldn't bother with asking too many questions."

His friend gave him an odd look for a moment before nodding. "So, you're in Gryffindor…Matsumoto was it? A first year?"

The well endowed eleven-year old straightened as she fixed her skirt. "Yes, that's right. That silly little hat sorted me last night. I tried to get your attention taicho but you wouldn't look over," she pouted at the small dead boy.

"You can call me Ran-chan," she added with a wink at Neville earning herself a disapproving glare from Hitsugaya.

"Ran." The other said flatly, looking between the two curiously. "As in Ran the cat?"

"Cat?" Matsumoto asked curiously, a slender eyebrow quirking.

"Toshiro's cat— well, my gran's now I suppose."

"Taicho?" The woman asked turning to look at the boy questioningly.

Hitsugaya's nose scrunched as he set his tea down. "He was lazy, annoying and loud. I couldn't think of a better name."

Matsumoto sent a knowing smile in his direction as she helped herself to some toast. Neville watched as the two interacted and he couldn't help but chuckle at the way they bantered with one another. It was no wonder she'd come to see him, although there was probably more to it than they were letting on. They seemed close. They type of close that he hoped that he and Toshiro would be one day; in fact, there were times when he thought they were already there. The pair was at ease with one another, they were relaxed.

"But wait," Neville started, a sudden thought hitting him. "Aren't you a little young? And why do you even need a title?"

"She's older than she looks," Hitsugaya muttered, completely ignoring the latter question.

"So are you," he pointed out.

"_Much _older."

"Hey!" Matsumoto protested. "I'll have you know I'm not a day over three hundred."

Neville paled. "Th-three _hundred_?"

"As I said," Toshiro nodded. "Much older."

"Well...alright then," he muttered, deciding to just leave it alone for now. "Other than visiting, is there a particular reason why you're here?"

"Ah," she smiled as she swallowed a bite. "That's classified. Maybe if taicho is feeling generous he'll tell you ne?"

The two turned to stare at the white haired boy but Toshiro refused to give them the time of day.

"Tough luck," Matsumoto giggled before returning to her breakfast.

"_We'll be having a talk before classes begin_," the taicho muttered in quick Japanese before he leaned over to get a look at Neville's watch to check the time.

The girl nodded as Neville looked rather lost. Not bothering to finish his tea, Toshiro stood, beckoning for his subordinate to follow.

"I'll see you in History of Magic. I'm afraid I need to take care of something before class"

"Oh, um yeah. I'll save you a seat," Neville called back as the pair made their way from the Great Hall, leaving him wonder what exactly had just happened and what the hell was going on.

* * *

Harry stared as he watched Toshiro stand from the table and take off with some random first year. While he didn't, the dead boy didn't completely isolate himself, he wasn't exactly a social butterfly either which made the entire scene a rather odd one.

"Who do you think she is? Reckon she's his girlfriend?" Ron said as his gaze remained on the pair until they disappeared from view.

"After _one night_?" Hermione asked, her eyes rolling towards the heavens. "I doubt it. He's not exactly Mr. Trusting if you hadn't noticed."

"Well do _you_ have any better ideas?" The redhead sneered.

"W-Well," she muttered, her fingers tapping against the warm wood of the table. "Maybe…she's an old acquaintance?"

"He's been dead for over a hundred years 'Mione. All his 'old acquaintances' are bloody well dead too." Ron drawled.

"Who's to say that he doesn't travel around? Maybe he met her a few years back or even while he was staying in the Leaky Cauldron," she snapped defensively as she shoved her books into her bag and took off.

"Nice Ron," Harry sighed as he ran a hand through his hair.

"What?"

"Never mind," the teen huffed as he resisted the urge to smack his rather oblivious friend. "You know, one day she's probably going to strangle you."

Ron frowned as he stared after Hermione as she stalked through the doors. "I don't see why. It's not my fault she's in one of her moods."

"Just wait until you two are— forget it," Harry said, cutting himself off before he downed the rest of his juice. "We'd better get going or we'll be late."

"Until we're what?" Ron called after him as he stood and chased after the brunette who'd already begun making his way from the hall.

"Nothing!"

"No_ seriously_, what?"

* * *

When they finally found an empty classroom Hitsugaya rounded on Matsumoto. "Just what the hell are you doing here?"

His subordinate bowed formally as he took a seat on top of the nearest desk.

"Sou-taicho sent me because he had no other way of contacting you," she replied stiffly, the playful air leaving her voice.

"There's a problem."

* * *

Harry's gaze slid to Neville who was sitting alone at a table as he entered the History of Magic classroom. Now that Toshiro was back it was odd to see one without the other although the white haired boy was clearly the more independent of the two.

The teen made his way over to where his roommate was sitting, setting his books down on a random table as he did. Neville gave him a smile when he noticed him approaching.

"Morning Harry."

"Where's Toshiro gotten to?" he asked as he took up the empty seat, ignoring Hermione's questioning look from her place at another table.

"He's off with Ran."

The Boy Who Lived frowned. "I thought your Gran had him."

"No, no," Neville said, shaking his head. "The girl."

"The first year?" He nodded. "They went off to talk about something."

"Do they…know each other?" Maybe it was a coincidence but there was also the possibility that Toshiro had named the cat for the girl. Thinking back, the colour of Ran's fur was almost the same shade as the girl's hair.

Neville hesitated for a moment before answering. "Not…that I'm aware of. They just seemed to hit it off."

"Huh," Harry clucked as he sat back in his seat. "Think anything will come of it? Probably wouldn't work out in the long run, but he's here for ten months. Plenty of time for a girlfriend I guess."

The other seemed to choke on air for a moment before answering, his eyes alight with mirth. "Sure is."

"Although," Harry started "I thought he and Luna might have had something going on. Never really bothered to ask him about it though."

"B-Believe me," Neville smiled. "There's nothing going on between Toshiro and Luna."

"Yeah," Harry nodded. "Bit of an age gap isn't there. But then again, if he's with this Ran girl that's an even larger gap…" he trailed off, his face contemplative.

"They do say age is just a number," Neville piped up.

"Yeah but they don't say that 'dead' is just a state of being."

"True."

"What the bloody hell are you two going on about?" Ron asked as he walked over.

"Toshiro's love life," Harry smirked.

"So she_ is_ his girlfriend?" The redhead asked Neville excitedly, as he crouched down in front of the desk.

"_Apparently_ he doesn't know," Harry answered before the other could get a word in.

Ron rolled his eyes as he stood from his crouching position. "Uh-huh. Well, are you sitting here or are you coming?"

The green eyed teen grabbed up his books and took off after his friend, leaving Neville to sit and wait for Toshiro to arrive alone.

* * *

Hitsugaya frowned. "Six?"

"Yes, or at least, that's their estimate. Mayuri-taicho said that something is interfering with the systems in six different locations as far as they can really tell. One was mobile for a while, but it's settled down."

"And let me guess," the taicho sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. "It's settled here."

"The magic makes it hard to tell, but that's the idea."

The white haired boy nodded as stared over at her. "Has anyone been sent to investigate any of the other locations?"

Matsumoto shook her head. "I'm the only one who's been dispatched so far. You needed to be notified quickly and they wanted a strong team so they decided to send me. We're permitted to request back up should the need arise."

"Of course," the taicho huffed as he stood, his face contemplative. "But why weren't they noticed before? Something must have changed recently for them to suddenly begin causing these issues. "

"Mayuri-taicho said something about them probably having been around for years but that they've just recently begun to truly resonate which is why they're affecting the computers all of a sudden."

"Well if my assumptions about Potter are correct, which they seem to be, then there's a good chance that if we stay close, we'll eventually come across the root of the problem." He nodded to himself as he thought it over.

"Whenever Potter is involved, that dark wizard of theirs tends to be as well. I'm just not sure what exactly is happening as of yet. But time will surely reveal that to us...Alright, at the moment there's not much we can do without raising suspicion."

A slender eyebrow quirked at his words. "Suspicion? I thought they knew everything already."

"They don't know..._everything_." He stressed critically. "And I'd like to keep it that way. They know the basics and not much else. I don't want them knowing that we work together, never mind that you're my subordinate."

"Wait..," the woman started as a smirk broke out across their face. "You didn't tell them that you're not just a regular officer! Oh taicho, that's too _perfect_!" she laughed, all seriousness long forgotten.

He gave her a withering glare. "If they ask, we met while you were in Japan with your family last summer."

"But what about Neville?"

"If I ask, he won't breathe a word."

Matsumoto nodded as he hopped down from the desk.

"We both need to get to class or else we'll be late. We'll discuss this more later. And do me a favour?"

His subordinate looked up as he stood in the doorway.

"Behave yourself."

The woman hidden within the gigai of an eleven year old pouted as the taicho shut the door behind him.

* * *

History of Magic was always an interesting if not dry affair. With a background in the military it was a little more understandable for Toshiro but even he couldn't deny that Professor Bins' voice had a certain...lethargy inducing quality to it. By the time the class was over Neville was fast asleep as were the majority of the students. Most used their break period to shake off their exhaustion before continuing on to their next class.

"Oh God. Oh God," Neville chanted as they were waiting in line in front of the Potions classroom.

"Settle down," Toshiro sighed. "You'll be fine."

"No, no I really won't be. I haven't improved since you left. If anything I've gotten worse and I didn't think that was possible!" he practically shouted as he wrung his hands.

"Just sit back and let me take care of things if you're so nervous."

"It's not the actual potion making I have a problem with..."

As it turned out, Neville was right in saying that he'd gotten worse. It was actually an exceptionally accurate observation. So accurate in fact that Toshiro left the room an hour and a half later with a singed sleeve and a few purple fingernails on his left hand.

"I'm so sorry," his friend repeated for the thirteen time. "Really, _truly_ sorry."

"It's fine Neville," the white haired boy huffed as they made their way through the hallways.

It seemed that word of his run in with a spell had travelled rather quickly. A few had already come up to give him their 'condolences'. Others simply stared as he passed, whispering to their friends as they watched him. All together, it was a rather odd feeling to have people treating him as if he'd contracted some terrible disease that would soon render him bedridden and useless. Maybe he should have been more specific when he'd been talking to Dean because apparently he'd decided to go about telling people he was terminal or something of the sort.

"Do you want to go and get changed before lunch?" Neville asked, interrupting his musings.

The Shinigami looked down at his partially burnt robe before shaking his head. "It doesn't really matter."

"You can take mine if you don't want to go up to the tower."

The taicho gave him a questioning look as they entered the Great Hall. "Neville, you're twice my size. I think it'd look odder if I were to walk around in your robe than if I had my slightly burnt one. Relax," he added as he spotted Matsumoto have way down the table surrounded by several first year girls.

"It's not that big of a deal."

Neville seemed to notice where his gazed had settled. "Are you going to sit with her?"

"No. I've already told her all I need to for now."

"Alright," the other said as they made their way to the Ravenclaw table.

"I would ask that you not mention my working with her."

"I already told Harry that I wasn't sure how you knew each other." Neville admitted as they took their seats. "Though I don't see why it's some big secret."

Toshiro sighed as he rested his chin in his palm. "I'm afraid that it's rather complicated."

"Are you sure you're just not _making_ it complicated?"

The white haired boy glared at him for a moment before pouring himself some water. "Dumbledore and I have only just managed to come to some sort of understanding. I'd like not to jeopardize that."

"Aw," Neville smirked. "Afraid of losing your new friend?"

Hitsugaya glared. "I told you, it's complicated. And he's not my friend. At the moment, he's my associate."

"Associate," Neville tested the word on his tongue. "So shouldn't you be watching Harry like a hawk or something? You seem pretty lax about him being out of your sight."

The taicho didn't answer for a moment, simply passing his friend the basket of rolls.

"If I were to follow him around like some sort of dog I doubt he'd tolerate my presence for long. It would only make things more difficult in the long run." He muttered as he tore off a piece of his roll and popped it into his mouth.

"I have the same classes, meal times, and I sleep in the same room as him. From a tactical standpoint, I'm in the best position possible to carry out _both_ of my missions while still giving him some breathing room. It also benefits me, seeing as I've always found Potter difficult to be around after a few weeks never mind months."

Neville laughed at that. "I suppose he can be a little...overbearing at times. But that's just his personality. Especially after last year I think."

"Yes well," Toshiro drawled. "It could get him into some rough situations later on in life."

Divination was...well, it was Divination. The word itself could be its own adjective in the Shinigami's opinion because there really weren't many words that could accurately describe it.

Neville was trying to relate a dream that seemed to involve a giant lamp, a penguin and a small species of bird he was struggling to identify as Toshiro tried uselessly to use the book they'd been given to interoperate the dream.

"It definitely wasn't a sparrow..."

"Look," Toshiro said as he slammed the book closed. "I don't need this useless book to tell me that your dreams are simply ludicrous and that quite frankly, you might need some mental attention if they prosiest."

"Oh gee, thanks for your vote of confidence," Neville muttered.

"Anyone who dreams of a lamp doing _that_ needs some sort of medical intervention," the taicho huffed as he sat back in his...poof-thing.

"You're horrible," the other sighed as he thumbed the side of his own textbook. "Careful with how you toss around that crap or I might have to get back at you."

"Oh," a white eyebrow quirked. "And how would you do that?"

"Not sure," Neville muttered. "Maybe I could write a scathing poem about you and post it around the school."

"Well, I don't see why you haven't taken the opportunity already," the taicho smirked, resisting the urge to sneeze as the air tickled his nose.

"I've tried but you see I can't find a word that rhymes with 'jerk'."

"Well I can think of several: perk...lurk, quirk, Turk."

"But those aren't nearly angst ridden or scathing enough," Neville sighed dismissively before the two broke out into quiet laughter.

"I sense that you are having trouble?" Trelawney's dreamy asked as she stared down at them through her outdated glasses.

"N-No Professor," Neville stuttered as he peeled open his book for the first time.

"The senses are never wrong my boy," she chuckled as she took a seat beside him. "Now, tell me your dreams so that I might show you how it's done."

And so Neville explained his dream and upon finishing up Trelawney's mouth was slightly agape before she shut it with a snap and nodded to herself.

"It's quite simple my dear."

Toshiro swore to himself that if she was about to predict Neville's death he'd scream. But surprisingly enough she went on to deliver a long winded speech on how his dream was a sign of how he was afraid of committing himself to the future, afraid of taking that integral step forward into the unknown and embracing the possibilities that might come his way.

When she stood up and left Toshiro's teal eyes followed after her.

"She got _that _out of a penguin, a lamp, and a bird?"

Neville shrugged as they both sat quietly in the heavily perfumed air before:

"You know...maybe it _was _a Sparrow."

* * *

When the time for their first Defence against the Dark Arts class finally arrived almost everyone was curious to see what type of teaching style Umbridge would use.

"She's just so...toad like," Neville muttered. "It's very off putting."

"You know," Toshiro mused as he flipped through his textbook. "Some people lick toads to try and become intoxicated."

"_Ew_," Neville spat. "Do you know what type of mental picture that just put into my head?"

"Not a very pleasant one I'd assume," the other smirked.

Unlike almost all of the other classes, desks instead of tables where used in Defence. It probably had to do with the practicality of being able to move them more easily for demonstrations. So Toshiro took a seat in the middle of the room with Neville choosing to sit behind him. As the other students filed in the taicho nodded to Ron who sat beside him, Harry giving him a grim sort of smile as he took the seat in front. Hermione seemed quite content to sit beside Neville and they both sat quietly casting curious glances up at the front of the class where Umbridge was seated behind her desk. She was once again a pink monstrosity that was enough to make anyone a little queasy.

When everyone had finally arrived and been seated an eerie sort of silence settled over the class, the kind that hushed a crowd as they waited for the executioner's axe to fall.

"Well, good afternoon class," Umbridge said in a sickly sweet voice as she smiled just a little_ too_ happily at them.

It was the type of smile that the psychopathic killer would grace his victims with before cutting off one of their limbs.

A few people muttered a reply of "Good afternoon" but most remained silent, a little perturbed that the woman-possibly some sort of toad hybrid-had deemed it appropriate to speak to them as if they all had some sort of mental deficiency.

Toshiro shared a look with Ron as the woman went about scolding them for not replying properly in turn. Coaching as if they were small children, Umbridge finally got her desired answer of "Good afternoon Professor Umbridge" before ordering away their wands and telling them to pull out their quills and parchment.

As he pulled out his supplies Toshiro couldn't help but notice that Umbridge seemed to be staring at him. He met her gaze, a questioning look crossing his face.

"Can I help you with something...?"

"Oh, no dear. Just admiring your..._interesting_ choice in hair colour. Mr...?"

"Hitsugaya."

"Ah yes, Mr. Hitsugaya." She chuckled as she tapped her wand against the board. "Do your parents approve of your...choice?"

Ron turned to give him an incredulous look and he could tell half of the class was waiting on baited breath to see what he would do.

"It's natural. My father has the same colour." He said simply.

A considering look spread across her face as she nodded. "Alright, everyone copy out what's on the board."

As everyone began copying she quietly made her way over to the taicho's desk, leaning down as if to give them some privacy. Toshiro's nose scrunched up as he realized that the woman smelled just as sickly sweet as her voice sounded. It was as if she'd decided the roll in sugar that morning.

"May I help you Professor?"

She leaned in even farther much to his dismay, his sense of smell wanting to shrivel up and die. "Well," she smiled. "I'm just wondering about your background? Such interesting colouring after all. I've never seen it on a child your age."

"I'm Japanese...if that wasn't rather apparent."

"Mhm. Yes, rather obvious I'd say." She nodded. "So your father, he has the same hair?"

"Yes, that _is_ what I just told you only a moment ago," he drawled as he set down his quill, ignoring Ron's snicker.

"And your father is also Japanese?" she asked, seemingly storing away all of the information he was giving her.

"I fail to see how this pertains to the lesson Professor," Toshiro said flatly. "And I would ask if you could please take a step back? Your perfume is a little strong."

Umbridge gave a little cough as she backed away. "I like to...get to know my students. And I'm afraid the records on you leave...much to be desired."

The Shinigami gave a small nod.

"They show that you transferred in during third year, but that you left before the start of fourth?"

"My father had some business to attend to back in Japan and thought I'd benefit from going along with him."

"Ah. Such a...loving father you must have," she croaked.

"Um, Professor?" Hermione called, her hand raised in the air.

"Not now Miss...?"

"Granger."

"Not now Miss Granger. I'm trying to get to know Mr. Hitsugaya here. I'll be with you in a moment."

Hermione huffed as she set down her quill and sat back in her chair.

"And may I ask how old you are? Forgive me, but you seem quite young," she said in a voice that didn't sound as if she was sorry in the least.

"I'll be fifteen in December."

"Dear," she whispered as she leaned in once again. "I've seen many children over the years and you are most certainly _not_ fifteen."

"I had a bit of a run in with a jinx over the summer before fourth year. I'm afraid they've yet to find a way of reversing it."

"And it effects your age," she said sceptically.

"Yes," he nodded. "It's not something I like to talk about."

"Oh of course dear," she said, clearly trying to sound understanding as she patted him on the shoulder.

"I understand. But your father," she added quickly, her hand squeezing his shoulder tightly. "He's completely Japanese?"

"_Yes,"_ the taicho snapped as he shoved away her hand, the temperature dropping slightly. "Is there something else you want to know or could I copy out the note like I should be doing?"

"Please refrain from using that tone of voice with me Mr. Hitsugaya or I will be forced to give you detention," she tut as she pulled away and moved back to her desk at the front of the class.

"Professor?" Hermione called again, trying to get her attention.

"Not now Miss. Granger," Umbridge practically sung as she pulled out of piece of parchment. "I'll be taking questions next class."

And with that she began writing God knew what leaving them to read from the text for the rest of the class.

* * *

"That was a load of bollocks," Ron complained as they filed out into the hallway. "I used to like Defence against the Dark Arts."

"That woman is going to completely ruin the curriculum," Hermione sighed as she once again read over the note they'd taken down.

"Look at this, there's nothing about actually _using_ defensive spells. She's going to have the entire course basically be on theory, no practice whatsoever."

"How is that going to help us?" Harry asked as he tucked his books under his arm. "Theory is one thing; actually being able to perform is another."

"Well that's just the problem isn't it?" Hermione pointed out. "Didn't you listen to her speech? This is part of the pruning she was talking about. She's cutting down what we learn because the ministry is scared."

"Scared? Of us?" Ron laughed. "They've got loads of Aurors 'Mione. I don't think they're going to get all scared of a bunch of school kids."

"But just think Ron," Harry started. "Look at all the kids that come out of Hogwarts. We out number them by a lot. One big graduating class could be enough to give them a hassle, never mind a few years worth, especially if they think Dumbledore is making some sort of militia out of us."

"Exactly," Hermione agreed.

"Either way," Ron said. "This class is going to suck."

"Well, yeah, that goes without saying."

* * *

Dear Readers,

So Fullmetal Alchemist is finally over. After…how many years? I of course cried through the entire chapter. I'll miss it, but now I'm waiting for the last episode of the anime so I can _really_ see it. I'd actually love to do an FMA/HP crossover. It's a little over done though...but I bet I could put my own twists in if I wanted. *sigh* Anyway, so Matsumoto has arrived. She'll be gone before Christmas though I warn you now. Typing this chapter was...interesting. My dad just randomly got me a new laptop and the keyboard is taking some getting used to. Office 2007 is...nice I suppose. I never bothered to update before so I was still on 2003. Exams are killing me. I've got a law exam tomorrow and a religion one on Thursday. But after that, I'm done! Summer here I come. Updates should be a lot quicker other than around the end of July and a few weeks into August because I'm away. Good luck to everyone with your exams! Thanks for reading,

ForeverFalling.


	10. A Toad to a Snake

A/N: Hey everyone. How have you been? Good I hope! Thank you to all those who reviewed, it really makes my day to read them all and hear your opinions on the story thus far.

**I've posted a new one-shot out called RECYCLE. It's a reincarnation fic and of course, is about Toshiro. I'm actually quite happy with it. **

* * *

"_Either way," Ron said. "This class is going to suck." _

"_Well, yeah, that goes without saying." _

* * *

Toshiro wasn't quite sure how it'd happened but he suddenly found himself surrounded by Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville as he sat in the common room that night. While he'd been annoyed at the time of the Umbridge incident earlier that day he couldn't say that it wasn't anything he hadn't had to put up with before. Unfortunately after her impromptu interview Umbridge had assigned a rather long essay to be completed for the next class. While Toshiro didn't really mind-he quite enjoyed writing-the rest of the class didn't take to the homework too kindly.

"But don't you see what she was doing?" Hermione asked, a book sitting in her lap. The moment she sat down she'd begun a tirade the likes of which he'd rarely heard spill from the girl's mouth. Ron frankly seemed quite surprised as a curse or two slipped from Hermione's lips while Harry on the other hand was quick to agree with everything she said, if looking a little amused.

"She's got it in her mind that you're some sort of half breed. That's why she's so interested in your family."

"Well, it doesn't matter all that much considering she'll find almost no records for her to look into." Toshiro said, easily brushing off the witch's worries but inwardly knowing that they weren't wholly wrong.

"But that will just lead to more trouble! She'll notice that something's not right," she hissed quietly. "If she gets it in her mind that you're some spy or even an illegal immigrant of some sort she'll make your life miserable until she sees you barred from the school."

"I doubt Dumbledore would let it get that far," Neville muttered from his place leaning over the back of Toshiro's chair. "He's practically put Toshiro on the pay role. I don't think he'd allow her to just get rid of him like that."

"You don't realise all of the trouble she's caused over the years with her policies!"

"I'm perfectly aware of Umbridge's...reputation," the taicho said. "It's nothing that I cannot handle."

Hermione looked to protest but a look from the white haired boy made her shut her mouth with a snap.

With Umbridge's appearance in the school things were going to be more difficult than the taicho had first assumed. The Order's movements would have to be more restrained as would his lest they attract her attention and thus the Ministry's. At this point in time he couldn't risk being banned from the school due to Umbridge's interfering. Not before he figured out exactly what was going on with Potter. His gaze shifted to the teen in question who was staring out of the nearby window. The feeling had lulled somewhat but the disturbing aura that seemed to have become intertwined with Potter's had yet to fully disappear. It was always there, quietly hidden away within Potter, spiking and waning at odd intervals.

As if sensing his scrutiny Harry turned to look at the Shinigami and when he did Toshiro couldn't help but feel a little unsettled. There was something different about Harry's eyes. He couldn't quite lay his finger on it but something had shifted lately. And not for the better.

"Well, just be careful around her alright?" Hermione cautioned. Toshiro nodded, ending the pseudo staring contest he'd been having with Potter.

"You too Harry!" she added, glancing over at her friend. "You looked about ready to strangle her and I don't think she spoke three words to you."

"It's not my fault!" the teen protested. "Her...entire being just gets to me."

Ron nodded in agreement while Neville looked on in sympathy.

"I heard from some others that she's been giving out detentions like they're going out of style." Hermione muttered as she eased herself back into her seat trying to get comfortable.

"I bet she gets off on it or something," Ron said. Toshiro grimaced at the thought.

"That's _vile_ Ron. Truly vile," the teenage witch spluttered.

"But not unfounded," Harry smirked.

"I can't believe I'm friends with you both."

As the group suddenly broke into an argument Toshiro eyed Matsumoto who was sitting on the other side of the room surrounded by several of her fellow first years. It was only her first school day but it seemed as if she was already queen bee in her little group.

Those poor children.

He'd have to her back to Soul Society before the Christmas break to report in. While her disappearance would surely draw a bit of attention her presence could prove to be detrimental if Umbridge managed to discover anything. There was also the fact that Dumbledore had a way of noticing things that were better off being disregarded. If he happened to see him speaking with Matsumoto it could arouse his suspicions. Toshiro wasn't exactly known for his social nature and for him to suddenly begin speaking with a new student who seemed to be familiar with him...well, it would just complicate matters and with their truce still fresh it wouldn't do to suddenly spook the Headmaster or his rather jumpy Potion's Master. Keeping his position within Soul Society's ranks could prove to be advantageous if it meant that he was perceived as less of a threat. Considering how they'd reacted when they found out that he was a soldier Hitsugaya didn't have any desire to see how they'd respond if they discovered that he was a Captain. One thing he'd learned with his experience at Hogwarts was that sometimes wizards were better off left in the dark.

"Toshiro?" Hermione's voice called, breaking through his thoughts. The taicho looked back to meet her gaze noticing that she seemed rather smug for one reason or another.

"So I heard from Pavarti that you and that first year are going out."

Toshiro gripped the arm of his chair tightly enough for everyone to hear the wood inside it splinter. "Pardon?"

Ron nodded. "I overheard Dean telling some people today as well."

The wood crunched ominously.

"And I wonder how they got this misguided notion into their heads?" Toshiro growled as he eyed Ron and Harry.

"It wasn't us!" Harry protested, raising his hands in surrender. "Sure, we were talking with Neville about it a bit earlier but it's not like we went around telling people or anything."

The Shinigami sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose trying by will alone to lower his suddenly rocketing blood pressure.

"And where exactly did you speak of this...matter?"

"In class," Harry said.

Toshiro resisted the urge to lean over and strangle the green eyed teen that seemed oblivious to any wrong doing on his part.

"Has it ever occurred to you at any point in time, that even if you all group together in a little circle and block out the rest of the world, that someone else just _might _overhear you?"

The two boys sat in silence like two children being scolded by a parent. Toshiro glared at the pair.

"You don't even bother to _whisper_! You just sit there and think that because you're ignoring everyone else, that they're doing the same. For God's sake, you sit there at the dinner table _surrounded_ by other students and yet you speak of things that should not be overheard. You just blurt it out like it's nothing," he growled, leaning forward slightly in his seat and watching as the two leaned back to keep some distance between them.

"It's a wonder you manage to keep any secrets at all."

"He does have a point," Neville noted as he nodded. "You guys aren't exactly subtle. Really."

"W-Well I think we've done a pretty good job of keeping our business our own," Harry muttered seeming to realise just how far he was leaning away as he righted himself in his seat.

"By sheer luck I assure you," Hitsugaya said, rolling his eyes. "At least speak in code or something. Learn Spanish for God's sake. Do _something_."

"So...it's not true?" Hermione wondered.

"No," he spat. "No, it's not. Is my speaking with someone other than Neville or Luna _really_ that odd?"

"Yes," they all chanted.

Toshiro turned around to glare at Neville, his voice having been amongst the others.

"What?" the taller teen asked. "You're not exactly Mr. Social Butterfly."

Well, he had a point there. But hell if Toshiro was going to admit it.

"Either way, she is simply a friend and nothing more."

"All the best relationships are built on friendship," Hermione proclaimed in a rather sage like manner.

"Friendship?" Toshiro drawled, his eyes sliding from the witch to a certain redhead. Seeming to notice his unspoken inquiry Hermione blushed brightly before she stood.

"I'm off to bed."

"It's only nine," Ron protested but she had already disappeared up the stairs to the girl's dormitory.

"Actually," Harry sighed as he stood. "I'm pretty tired myself. I think I'll head up to bed too."

Ron looked aghast at the thought. "But it's only _nine_!"

Harry shrugged and bid them goodnight before he too disappeared up the stairs.

"It's a bloody conspiracy," Ron muttered as he slouched down in his seat.

Neville sat down in one of the now empty seats. "He didn't sleep very well last night. I think he was having a nightmare."

"And how would _you _know?"

"I was up late reading," the other offered by way of explanation. "He woke you up didn't he?" he asked, looking to Toshiro.

The taicho nodded remembering how he'd woken up feeling rather ill in the middle of the night with Harry's mutterings to keep him company. Ron looked a little put out for a moment before he looked over at the two.

"So I guess you'll be going to bed too then?"

The pair just smiled back at him.

* * *

The next few days passed rather uneventfully...well, for Hogwarts at least. Matsumoto more or less steered clear of her taicho knowing that they were being watched by the teachers. Just that morning she'd had the pleasure of her first class with Professor Umbridge.

Despite what people might say about her, Matsumoto was no fool. She could act like one sure, but the fact was that things rarely escaped her notice. There was something to be said for her acting skills. Through all her years of experience in Soul Society one thing had become apparent: people underestimated a beautiful woman. Her delusive actions and ditsy personality only served to further their misguided opinions. And she wouldn't have it any other way. Between her misleading appearance and attitude her and her cute as can be taicho who didn't reached most of their enemies' shoulders, they were the perfect pair. Misleading, beguiling. They'd been put together by the Suo-taicho for a reason. They balanced each other perfectly but they also fed into one another. Even a single woman no matter how beautiful could raise suspicion. And seeing a small boy walking around late in the night wasn't exactly normal. But a single idiotic woman, toting around a child who glared, and practically pouted, at anything that moved? Harmless as a butterfly.

So with her ditsy personality and wide smile Matsumoto had gone to work on the first year girls she'd be rooming with. Subtly influencing people without them taking notice was one of her specialities and before she knew it they were putty in her hands, however oblivious. As she continued to get to know the girls something became very apparent: they loved to gossip. Most of it was trivial, useless information that she could care less about. But some of it was pure gold.

It seemed that several of the girls' parents worked for the Ministry that she knew acted as their government. And soon they were feeding everything to her, whispering their secrets in her ears, telling her what surely shouldn't have left the dinner table after their parents had said it, not realising how her ever present smile seemed to widen as they did. Oh the innocence of youth. And so as the girls continued to bond to her, telling her tales of what their parents had said, Matsumoto knew that she had just stumbled upon a great enemy in the form of Dolores Jane Umbridge.

* * *

Toshiro woke suddenly with no idea why. Teal eyes roamed the room searching for what had disturbed him but he found nothing. The taicho ran a pale hand over tired eyes, looking out of the window and seeing plashes of pink beginning to leach into the early morning sky.

He rolled onto his side before sliding out of his bed leaving the covers that had warmed his cold body. The stone was comfortably cool beneath his bare feet as he dressed in a pair of jeans and a rather plain looking t-shirt. Everyone was likely to still be asleep so early on a Saturday morning so as soon as he'd made it down into the common room he let out a sharp burst of reiatsu. It only took a few moments for Matsumoto to appear at the bottom of the stairs, silently making her way to sit beside him in his usual spot.

The pair sat in companionable silence for a few moments before Toshiro finally decided to speak. "What have you found out?"

"She's a bitch."

Her taicho gave her a wry look before she broke out into quiet laughter and continued. "She's going to give you some trouble taicho. She's against anything she sees as abnormal. I don't see her sitting pretty for the year, she's going to try and change things."

"Radically," Toshiro nodded.

"There's word going around that Dumbledore won't be Headmaster for long. Apparently he's on his last chance and the Minister is about ready to have him replaced, if not thrown into prison."

"I more or less deduced the same thing myself. I doubt he'll last the year. And once he's gone, Umbridge will most likely try and claim his title for herself. In the mean time, we can't draw her notice for needless reasons. She's already suspicious of me, but I don't want her to have any reason to suspect you."

"But depending on how things work out, we could be out of here before everything hits the fan," she noted. "Once the mission is done, there won't be a reason for us to stay. It's their problem, not ours."

The taicho considered her words for a moment, knowing that they were all too true. And yet...

"You'd stay though, wouldn't you taicho?"

They sat there in the early morning silence not saying anything. But they both knew what his answer was.

* * *

It was about three hours later that people began to filter down from the dormitories so that they could head down for breakfast. Matsumoto had disappeared back upstairs before anyone could spot them sitting together but soon she too reappeared followed by her group of girls. Several people waved idly to him as they passed through the portrait hole. It was about an hour later that Neville found him resting in his favourite chair with the window ajar and the cool morning breeze ghosting over his skin. His friend slumped down into the seat beside him content to doze for a while before heading down for breakfast. And for a moment everything was peaceful.

"Are they asleep?"

Toshiro cracked open a teal eye to find Ron staring down at him with Harry at his side.

"I'm awake, but I can't say the same for Neville."

His friend groaned as he sat up a little straighter. "I'm awake. Just tired."

"Up late again reading?" Harry asked as the pair stood from their seats and they all began making their way down to the Great Hall.

Hermione had forgone breakfast in order to head down to the library to begin on her homework which didn't come as much of a surprise to anyone. While the year was just beginning she was already focused on keeping her grades up and studying for her OWLs. Truthfully, Toshiro didn't really care about the exams. They in no way affected his future but he could empathize with the other fifth years, recalling his Academy days decades past.

Ron seemed to hang back from the group, walking so that he was a few paces behind. Neville and Harry were rather busy talking about something that Toshiro really didn't bother to pay attention to so he slowed his pace to walk beside the redhead.

"Something on your mind?"

Ron hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. The taicho sighed, rather exasperated as they continued walking.

"I- I've been thinking about something." Ron finally said.

"And what might that be?"

"Well... Quidditch tryouts are coming up..."

Toshiro looked over at him curiously. While he knew that he was interested in the sport Toshiro had never considered that he could actually play.

"You should tryout," Hitsugaya said simply.

Ron looked down for a moment and Toshiro once again realised just how self-conscious he was. It wasn't all that surprising really. He had several older brothers who had all gone on to some rather amazing things and his best friend just so happened to be the famous Boy Who Lived.

"It never hurts to try. Have some confidence in your abilities," he added hoping to encourage Ron to come out of his shell.

"It doesn't matter if you're not perfect; they have practices and training sessions for a reason. There's never any shame in trying in failing. It's not trying and standing by doing nothing that brings true shame to your name."

While Harry might have made a good Prefect, there was no doubt in his mind that it was _Ron _who really needed the position. With his bright red hair and rather loud mouth he came off as brash if not cocky. But that wasn't who he was at all, and someone needed to show him that. Toshiro had hoped that one day Hermione would be that person but it seemed as if Ron needed a little push right _now_. He needed to learn to come out from behind Harry's shadow and it seemed that he was beginning to do just that.

"I'd need some practice beforehand," Ron muttered cautiously.

"I'm sure Harry would be more than happy to help. Your brothers or sister might even lend you a hand."

"I-I don't—

"Try out," Toshiro said forcefully, with a threat laced with his words.

"Uh...yeah. Alright," Ron finally agreed, seeming both horrified and exhilarated.

The Hall was mostly empty of students but almost all the teachers had arrived save a few. They parted ways upon their entrance, Toshiro and Neville making their way over to sit with Luna while Harry and Ron took up their normal seats.

As they sat down Luna looked up from the paper that she was reading, carefully sliding it towards them so that they could see what she was reading. Neville began reading the article while Toshiro was content to pour himself some tea, knowing that sooner or later the teen would tell him what was going on. He took a sip, taking the time to ask Luna how her first week of classes had been.

"I quite enjoyed them," she began. "I believe that—

"Bloody hell!" Neville yelped as he practically threw himself into Toshiro's side to shove the newspaper at him. The Shinigami hissed as the hot tea slopped over the sides of his cup and splashed onto his hands.

"Neville," he ground out, carefully placing the cup down with his now beet red hands.

"Oh...uh, whoops."

Luna ever so kindly dumped a pitcher of cool water over his hands, soaking his robes in the process and making even more of a mess.

"_What _is it?" Hitsugaya growled as he wrung out his shirt over the bench, his hands still aching.

"The paper."

"Well," the taicho started. "If you hadn't shoved it at me, I might have been able to read it," he said, slamming the now soaking paper down onto the table. Neville had the decency to look abashed as he began mopping up the mess.

"Mr. Hitsugaya," a voice said from behind them. "Why is it that every time I see you in this hall, you seem to be dripping on my floors?"

The taicho turned to find McGonagall giving him a disapproving look as she stood.

"And I am growing tired of having to tell you to sit at your _proper _table."

"It's my fault Professor," Neville muttered. "I accidently made him spill his tea."

She gave her student a withering look before gesturing for Toshiro to follow her.

"Professor Dumbledore needs to have a word with you in his office."

Hitsugaya stood to follow her, biding his friends goodbye before he left.

"Something has happened," he said instead of asked.

"I'm afraid so," the Deputy Headmistress answered as they exited the hall and began heading towards Dumbledore's office. Students rushed passed them on their way to the Great Hall, barely giving them a second glance as they did. As they neared the Headmaster's office the number of people began to thin out until the hallways were empty and silent except for the sound of McGonagall's shoes clacking against the stone.

"In trouble Mr. Hitsugaya?"

The aforementioned boy along with McGonagall resisted the urge to roll their eyes as Umbridge suddenly appeared from an adjacent hallway.

"Not today Professor," he said easily, hoping to escape her company as quickly as possible.

"If you'll excuse us Dolores," McGonagall grunted, stepping around the short pink woman.

"May I ask what's going on?"

Toshiro could tell that McGonagall was just barely resisting the urge to strangle her.

"The Headmaster just wants to go over some of Mr. Hitsugaya's transfer papers."

Toshiro tried not to sigh when he noticed how Umbridge's eyes lit up at her words.

"Would I be able to sit in on this little...session?"

"No."

"But Minerva—

"No, Dolores." McGonagall cut her off. "Come along Hitsugaya," she added as she began striding down the hall towards the Headmaster's office, leaving a rather annoyed Umbridge in her wake.

She quickly said the password and the gargoyle slide away to reveal the stone staircase that Toshiro had become rather familiar with during his last stay at Hogwarts. Unlike most Professor McGonagall didn't wait for it to spin her up towards the door but instead climbed up them to quicken her pace. Out of all of the wizards he'd ever met, Minerva McGonagall was one of the few that he truly respected.

She opened the door without bothering to knock and the Shinigami was presented with the sight of a grave looking Headmaster and an ever sneering Snape. Dumbledore had a copy of the Daily Prophet in front of him, two pages flagged and Toshiro was willing to guess that one of those pages happened to be the same one that Neville had so desperately wanted to show him.

"It seems that we've run into some problems."

* * *

Dear Readers,

I'm so sorry about the delay on this chapter. By the time I actually started writing it I was already really late in updating and then I just couldn't write the damn thing! It was like pulling teeth but suddenly I hit my stride and I finished it rather quickly. I think listening to Bruce Springsteen helped...I listened to the acoustic bootleg version of Racing in the Streets for most of this chapter. Music does wonders. School is starting soon enough. I'll try to get another chapter out before that if I can. Grade 12...I feel so old but at the same time so young. I'm sixteen and I'm supposed to be picking out what I want to do for the rest of my life. This will also be my last year at home before I go away to school...it's a bit scary. Thanks for reading, and if you can manage to find the time please check out that one-shot.

ForeverFalling.


	11. Statistically Speaking

A/N: Hey everyone! How have you been? Good I hope. Thanks to all those who reviewed, it really makes my day to read them all.

* * *

**Over 500 reviews! **

**Thanks so much for all of your continued support. You all never fail to simply amaze me.**

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"_It seems that we've run into some problems."_

_

* * *

_

Dumbledore slid the paper across the desk and Toshiro frowned for a moment before picking it up. And while the article on an opera singing cat was rather interesting, he had the feeling that it wasn't what the Headmaster wanted him to read. Teal eyes scanned the page until they happened upon an article about the arrest of a man by the name of Sturgis Podmore. He frowned for a moment realising that the name was actually quite familiar. A rather ugly looking man came to mind for some reason.

"I take it that he's an acquaintance of yours?" he asked, folding the paper to make it easier to read.

"He's a member of the Order." Ah, well, that explained why the name rang a bell.

"I suppose that he was there on your orders?"

That would explain the trespassing, he'd often heard Order members going on about shifts and the like while he was staying in Grimmauld Place. But why would he have been trying to break down a door? There'd been talk of _guarding_ not _acquiring_.

"Not...exactly," Dumbledore relented.

So his actions hadn't been a result of a direct order and he doubted that a traitor would survive long in the company of Dumbledore. So the real question was: who or what had made Podmore go against the Order? And what exactly had he been guarding in the first place?

"If his actions weren't a result of your orders and he wasn't a traitor...?"

"I highly doubt that," the Headmaster nodded.

"Then an outside force is to blame," Toshiro said. "So, since people are suddenly turning coat on you I believe it's about time you told me what exactly your intentions are behind guarding that door."

"Headmaster," Snape started, stepping from his place against the wall to stand at Toshiro's side. "I must point out that Mr. Hitsugaya is _not_ a member of the Order. It would be highly inappropriate to reveal such things to someone who has repeatedly claimed to be neutral," he said, suspicious eyes wandering over the taicho's face as if looking for any hint of betrayal.

"It is just as easy for him to fall to our side as it is for him to fall to theirs."

Dumbledore seemed to take in the man's words, considering them carefully before speaking. "While I won't deny that you have a point Severus, at this time, and taking into account Mr. Hitsugaya's past with us along with his character, I do believe it to be quite safe to tell him."

"Headmaster, please reconsid—

"That's enough Severus," Dumbledore said, clearly dismissing him. "We can speak more on this matter at a later date, but for now, that is my final decision."

Snape stepped away, shoulders hunched in defeat as he retreated back into the shadows.

"I'm well aware that you're guarding something of some sort. From what I've been able to pick up, it's a weapon that Voldemort could possibly use against you," Toshiro said easily as he leaned back in his chair, crossing one leg over his other as he did. "Given the circumstance, I'm rather surprised that you've withheld most of your information from Harry. But, even I can tell that something is wrong with him."

The taicho watched as Dumbledore's face seemed to tighten at his words, his eyes no longer sparkling as they seemed to have a penchant for doing.

"I can see that you too have realised that something isn't right with Potter. I wonder if it has anything to do with his constant complaining that you barely look at him anymore?" Toshiro smirked as he tugged off his uniform cloak and began rolling his sleeves, watching as the Headmaster turned a rather unbecoming white.

"Could it be...," he drawled. "That you're _scared _of Potter?"

Oh, what an amusing thought.

"How dare you mock the Headmaster," McGonagall practically snarled, speaking up for the first time since they'd entered the room. The Shinigami ignored her, instead focusing all his attention on the old man in front of him.

"Or rather...that you're scared _for _him? Hn," he clucked. "I would say a bit of both. This means that this weapon is most certainly dangerous if it could shake the _unshakable _Dumbledore. Or maybe, the repercussions of Harry finding out what it is are what truly concern you?"

The old wizard cleared his throat, his blue eyes boring into Toshiro's teal. "You are...quite perceptive."

"In my line of work it can be life saving."

"Harry...is another matter entirely. One which I believe still needs further research. The weapon is what we came here to speak of and so we shall," he said, officially blocking off any other topics to Toshiro's sharp tongue and quick mind.

"The weapon that we are guarding isn't much of a weapon at all really. It is a Prophesy."

"A prophesy," Toshiro said flatly finding his interest suddenly waning.

"One that foretells of the outcome of the war that we are currently fighting."

Interesting.

"So it tells you which side comes out as the victor?"

"No, but rather, what must ultimately happen in order for the war to end, for either side to win."

The taicho frowned but motioned for the wizard to continue rather intrigued as to what the Prophesy entailed.

"The basic message of the Prophesy is that neither can live while the other survives."

And suddenly the pieces fell into place.

"Potter has to kill Voldemort."

Dumbledore nodded, a dark gloom overtaking his lined face.

"And you haven't told him?"

"Not yet."

The taicho grimaced. "He's going to need to be told. And soon if things are escalating like this. You should have told him years ago. Trained him properly."

"And denied him a childhood?" the old man asked. "I didn't want Harry to grow up with this sort of weight on his shoulders."

"Either way, it's his weight to bear," Hitsugaya reasoned. "Would it not have been better to prepare him properly, give him a fighting chance, instead of suddenly dumping this on him when the time for their confrontation is almost upon you?"

"I have many regrets," Dumbledore said, his fingers clacking against the polished wood of his desk. "But this is not one of them."

They fell silent for a moment, the room only filled with the dull sounds of rustling wings.

"Has it occurred to you that Harry doesn't necessarily need to be the one to kill him?"

"If you knew the entire prophesy you'd see that it was rather specific on that part I'm afraid." Dumbledore said sadly, and it was clear that the same thought had passed through his own mind once upon a time.

"I've never been one to believe in destiny, I've always thought that we forge our own paths in life." Toshiro started quietly. "It's far too depressing to think that everything is predetermined. That we're all simply trapped and doomed to our fate."

"A common point of view," Dumbledore remarked. "But I've never known a prophesy such as this to be wrong. I'm afraid everything seems to be set in place."

The Shinigami gave a small grin, startling the Headmaster who had become rather accustomed to the smirk that normally played across the pale lips of the boy in front of him. It wasn't a happy smile, but a knowing one. And suddenly, the world didn't seem quite so dark anymore.

"What was it that you called me two years ago?" The taicho said almost teasingly. "A...wildcard was it?"

Dumbledore realised that the boy's smile was actually quite contagious. The Headmaster looked to Snape for a moment before an idea dawned on him and slowly, their plan began to take shape.

* * *

Seeing as it was the weekend there were obviously no classes for anyone to attend. Thus, once Toshiro had returned to finish off his breakfast and pour himself a new cup of tea they decided to head outside for the day. It was unseasonably cold for September, so many of the students were bundled up in their sweaters and scarves but Toshiro had headed out in his t-shirt and jeans and found it to be quite comfortable.

"So she was following you?" Neville asked as they sat underneath their normal tree by the lake.

"She seems to have taken an interest in me," Toshiro nodded, not looking up from the hand of cards clasped in his fingers. Luna placed an ace down on the pile that was resting between them and the taicho tsk'd as he threw down his hand realising that he'd been beaten.

"Well you are quite interesting," Luna muttered as she began shuffling the deck to deal a new game. She'd woven several flowers into her braided tresses and with her bright clothing adding to her look Toshiro couldn't help but be reminded of the odd fashion the living had enjoyed a few decades back.

"At this point I'd rather blend in."

"With that hair it's pretty much impossible," Neville commented as Luna offered him a hand of cards. A frown spread across as he looked down at the hand he'd been dealt knowing he wasn't going to fair well. Luna took the first move putting down a Queen which Toshiro easily topped with a King. Neville sighed as he put down a ten and picked up another card from the deck.

"Maybe you should just lay low," he said, as Luna put down another card. "Dumbledore will probably take care of her anyway. Just ignore her until then."

"Easier said than done," the white haired boy chuckled as he put down an ace. Neville swore as he picked up two cards from the deck.

"I'm worried about the Defence OWL though," he sighed as he watched his friend continue to clobber him. "You might not have to worry about them, but for the rest of us they're a big deal."

"That will all be sorted out," Luna promised.

"How do _you_ know?"

"It's _Luna_," Toshiro stressed. "Never doubt her. Take her words to heart and you will go far."

Luna nodded in agreement as she won the game again. Neville gave them an appraising look before shaking his head and handing back his cards.

"I had the opportunity to speak with your friend," the blonde said in her usual dreamy tone. "She's very nice. Very interesting."

"She seems popular," Neville noted.

The taicho nodded, "She's a bit of a social butterfly."

"So...completely the opposite of you."

"Yes."

"Ah."

And the day continued much like that. They spent almost all of their time outside by the lake until dinner where the entire school seemed to be in a rather good mood. Snatches of conversations filtered through the air that was heavy with the rich smell of the food and the ceiling was a deep blue. It was as they were sitting at the table and Toshiro was passing him a pitcher of juice that Neville's memory was finally stirred by the sight of his friend's still slightly red hands—thus, of course, ruining everything.

"They know he's in London!" he suddenly yelped out, accidently knocking into his friend and spilling the juice everywhere.

Toshiro just managed to catch the pitcher by the tips of his fingers before it shattered against stone floor, and many students turned to stare for a moment before returning to their own business. After he set the pitcher safely back on the table the Shinigami stared down at his clothes almost forlornly as he sighed:

"Well, at least this time it wasn't hot."

"I-I'm so sorry!" Neville spluttered as he went about mopping up the mess.

"You are no longer permitted to sit beside me," Toshiro said tersely as he suddenly stood from the table.

A flare of panic went through Neville as he watched his best friend walk away from him but it disappeared quickly enough as Toshiro walked to the end of the table and continued on until he was directly across from him instead of beside.

"There," Toshiro huffed as he sat down once again. "Now, for future note, I'm never passing you any form of liquid again either. You can reach across the damn table if you need something."

"I really am sorry Toshiro," Neville muttered again.

"It's fine," the boy said easily as he look down at his now bright orange shirt. "I'm sure...pumpkin juice will wash out."

"Magic could help but actually...it stains pretty badly."

"I'm well aware of that Neville," Toshiro growled as he dabbed at his shirt with a nearby napkin. "I was just trying to make you feel better. Now, stop digging your hole and get on with it."

The taller Gryffindor leaned forward in his seat, making sure that everyone else at the table was wrapped up in their own affairs before he whispered: "The article I was looking at this morning. They know that Sirius Black is in London."

Toshiro blinked, remembering the two pages that Dumbledore had dog-eared but only looking at one. Considering that Sturgis Podmore had suddenly gone rogue and now news of Sirius' location had been leaked, it would be easy to assume that Podmore had betrayed them. But with Dumbledore vouching on the man's behalf it was rather likely that he'd been forced into acting against the Order. And with Sirius hiding in Grimmauld Place it was unlikely that he'd been seen by someone outside of the Order unless he'd gotten restless and decided to venture outside. Or, someone at the station the day that they'd left for Hogwarts had known that Sirius was an Animagus.

So a Death Eater had been there that day.

The taicho frowned as he thought, trying to narrow down the suspects. Considering that over half of the Slytherin families seemed to be in league with Voldemort, the number was considerable. The small Shinigami glanced down the table until he was finally met with the tense sight of Potter. The teen was speaking with Hermione, a frown spread across his face and his knuckles white from gripping at the edge of the table. It seemed as if he was well aware of the article that had been published.

"You met him over the summer again right?" Neville asked quietly, glancing up and down the table to make sure no one was listening in.

Toshiro gave a small noise of agreement, his thoughts straying. No matter what Dumbledore said, it was perfectly possible that there was a traitor within the Order. It wouldn't be difficult to set up Podmore and to reveal Black's location. They'd been trying to use Podmore to get the Prophesy, that itself was clear, but what would they have to gain by ratting out Sirius? It wasn't as if they'd given the paper specifics, just his general location.

"How do you think they found out?" Neville muttered as he bit at the edge of his thumb. "He could be in a lot of danger."

Toshiro didn't answer for a moment, instead remaining silent as stared down at the smooth surface of the table.

"He should be fine," he said after a while. "He's well hidden for the time being. And I doubt anyone unwelcome could get in if they tried."

Sirius Black's safety was the least of his problems at the moment. The real issue was the fact that someone was identifying Order members and trying to use them to accomplish their own goals. Not to mention the fact that there was surely a spy within their ranks. Hitsugaya ran a hand tiredly over his face. Things were no longer as simple as he'd hoped, especially after what Dumbledore had come up with that morning.

"I hope everything turns out alright," Neville mused.

"So do I."

He would make sure it did.

* * *

The common room was rather packed that evening, filled to the brim with students and the accompanying noise. Hitsugaya had taken up his normal seat which many people had come to accept as his. He even kept a sweater of his over the back of it to stake his claim.

"So the guy dives down," Ron exclaimed, his hands flying wildly through the air. "And just grabs the snitch! It was the best game ever!"

The taicho nodded but truthfully, even after the half hour long play by play explanation courtesy of the youngest Weasley son, he still had no idea what had made it so great. It had to be a wizard thing. Instead of Quidditch his thoughts were still on the Order. If he was perfectly honest, the most likely spy was Severus Snape. But wasn't that just a _bit_ too obvious? Besides, no matter how he acted, it was clear that on some level, deep down in his soul...hidden beneath a sharp tongue and a sneering face, that Snape respected Dumbledore. He might be a 'greasy git' as Ron would put it, but he wasn't a bad person. He could be quite nice at times. Well, Toshiro himself had yet to really experience a nice encounter with Snape, but someone, somewhere at sometime _must_ have.

Statistically speaking.

There was a quiet tap at the window that drew him from his thoughts and cut through Ron's continuing speech. The taicho frowned at the sight of an owl perched on the windowsill. Ron seemed to notice that his attention had visibly strayed elsewhere and turned to see what he was looking at.

"Is that an owl?"

Toshiro nodded as he carefully unlatched the window, watching as the bird hopped inside eagerly. The taicho pulled a letter from its beak, minding his fingers as he did.

"It's...addressed to you," he said, passing the envelope to Ron. The teen squinted at the bird for a moment before recognition seemed to dawn on his face. "I take it you know the bird?" the Shinigami asked as he leaned back in his seat.

The bird shook out its wings before giving a small hoot and flying back off into the darkening evening sky.

"It's Percy's owl."

Toshiro frowned as Ron stared down at the letter dumbly. "Are you going to open it?"

The other teen nodded, carefully sliding a finger under the seal to pry it open. Toshiro could just make out some of the neat scrawl that rolled across the page and spilled onto the back of the paper as well. By the look on Ron's face, Toshiro doubted that the letter was a heartfelt attempt to rekindle their brotherly bond. In fact, it seemed that whatever his brother had to say was mildly displeasing.

"That _prat_!"

Oh, well, judging by the_ lovely _purple shade that Ron's face was beginning to turn the letter was a little more than _mildly _displeasing.

"I can't believe that- that git!" Ron snarled, the letter crumpling under the force of his grip.

"Good news I take it?" Toshiro drawled. Ron glared over at him, letting him know that his sarcasm was unwanted.

"It's trash!"

The taicho pulled the letter from Ron's grip.

"Let's see," Hitsugaya muttered, scanning over the letter. "Pleasantly surprised...fraternization...severe ties...hn. Well," he said, carefully folding the letter, having already read enough. "He certainly seems like a...very _pleasant_ character."

Ron tore the parchment from his grip and began systematically ripping it to pieces. He tossed the pieces through the still open window and the pair watched as they were carried away on the wind that was blowing across the school grounds.

"He can shove his advice up his arse," the redhead growled as he slammed the window shut.

Toshiro continued to stare out of the window, vaguely wishing that Ron had left it open to welcome the breeze into the stuffy room. His tirade seemed to have drawn the attention of most of the room and many whispers met the taicho's ears but a small, familiar cough was what truly caught his attention. His gaze wandered from the window to Matsumoto who was sitting by the fire surrounded by several girls. She cocked her head towards the door, and he nodded minutely.

"I'll be back," he said suddenly, standing from his seat.

"Where are you going?" Ron called, but the Shinigami ignored him, instead continuing his quick stride from the common room and out into the hallway.

He waited for a few moments before he heard the portrait open once again and knew that she was following him. They wove through the halls, a respectable distance between them. Toshiro ducked into the first empty room that he came across and she easily glided in after him.

"That article in the paper?" she asked knowingly, as she shut the door behind her with a quiet snap.

Her taicho nodded, looking rather annoyed. "Dumbledore is losing his grip on his subordinates. In the span of a single day, one of them was charged with trespassing and sent to jail while the another he's been hiding for the better part of two years is spotted."

"Things are getting rather complicated," she sighed, running a hand through her auburn locks. "But, if they start getting picked off by their Ministry, it's not really our problem." She watched as a grimace flickered across his face. "Then again, they really are one of our greatest resources. Maybe you should try and get more involved," she suggested, taking a seat on a nearby desk. "If Dumbledore isn't up to the task of controlling them, you certainly are."

"But, if I become too involved Umbridge or someone else is sure to notice. We shouldn't draw too much attention to ourselves," he reasoned. "Wizards don't take kindly to things that they cannot comprehend."

If he were going to actually join the Order and take up a more active role in their affairs he'd have to avoid being seen with any of the members other than for school reasons. The Ministry was suspicious of Dumbledore and anyone he kept in his company and Umbridge was already looking into his past.

Toshiro huffed, rather frustrated with the way things were developing. He'd only wanted to see about the disturbance, but wizards had a way of drawing a person into their problems. The fact was that he was at Hogwarts to figure out why Harry was disrupting their systems and how to stop it-otherwise Mayuri would continue to whine about it- but he'd also made an agreement with Dumbledore to watch over Potter. It served him well in the end, considering it gave a way to get close to his subject but it also gave him the added responsibility of guarding him. And trouble just had a way of finding Harry Potter.

Still, it was his duty to protect him and therefore, he was also obligated to protect the prophesy that could very well lead to Voldemort killing him.

"I suppose I _could _get more involved," he finally conceded. Joining was out of the question, but being a more active participant didn't sound completely unbearable. "I won't have a truly active role until...and even that isn't yet sent in stone...well, it would benefit us regardless."

"If they're protecting Harry you might as well taicho," Matsumoto nodded, flicking her hair as she did. "Besides, maybe they'll be able to help you figure out what exactly is happening with him. For all we know, it could be some sort of odd magical phenomena."

"I'll speak with Dumbledore about getting involved when the opportunity arises. I'm more likely to get information from them then anyway."

Matsumoto smiled over at him, happy to be in his presence again. "Have you felt anything else from Harry?"

"Not for several days," the taicho said quietly. "At least, it hasn't gotten any worse. There's still something wrong, but as long as it doesn't get any worse we have time to act carefully."

"He gives me a bad feeling," she revealed, biting at her bottom lip as she did. "No one seems to notice it."

"Dumbledore does," Toshiro grumbled. "I have a feeling that he knows something. Either something that he doesn't want anyone to know, or something he doesn't want _me _to know."

"Why wouldn't he want you to know?" Matsumoto wondered aloud.

The smaller Shinigami sighed as a sudden thought popped into his head. "He's afraid."

"Of you?"

"No," he started, his teal eyes glowing in the moonlight that spilled through the uncovered windows.

Matsumoto stared into the pair of familiar orbs, complete trust shining clearly in her own. It was beginning to dawn on him, just how big of an undertaking their job was. If Dumbledore had decided to be secretive, it would only complicate matters. Well, if the Headmaster refused to tell him, he'd just have to find out for himself. It might be a bit of a task, but ultimately he was sure he could do it given time.

"Not _of _me. But of what I'll do once I find out."

* * *

Later, as he spent yet another restless night staring up at the cobwebbed ceiling of the dormitory, Toshiro couldn't help but wonder if Dumbledore was right to be scared.

* * *

Dear Readers,

D. Gray – Man chapter 199. Oh lord, I cried. Kanda is my absolute favourite character and to see him like that...and then Alma. It was an amazing chapter but I get the feeling that Kanda is going to be gone for quite a while. Which is going to kill me. So...my cousin's friend's dog got attacked by a beaver...this is when I know I live in Canada. Thanks for reading,

ForeverFalling.


	12. Visions Like Poison

A/N: Hey everyone! How have you been? Good I hope! Thanks for all those who reviewed, it really makes my day to read them all.

**Short, I know. But I really wanted to end it there. **

* * *

_Later, as he spent yet another restless night staring up at the cobwebbed ceiling of the dormitory, Toshiro couldn't help but wonder if Dumbledore was right to be scared. _

_

* * *

_

The rest of the weekend passed rather uneventfully and before anyone knew it, Monday was upon them once again. Although the daylight hours passed quickly, the night time hours passed agonizingly slowly for a certain taicho. For a reason that was beyond his understanding, sleeping had become a bit of a chore. He'd wake up and not be able to fall back asleep until the early hours of the morning, if at all. There was a restlessness in the back of his mind that plagued him, ruining his concentration and a making his anxious.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Neville asked him for what seemed like the fiftieth time.

"For the last time, yes," Toshiro snapped, shoving aside his half empty teacup.

"You seem on edge."

"Well, forgive me for growing tired of hearing the same question repeated again and again."

Neville frowned for a moment before he sighed and gave up, turning back to his almost empty plate. The owls swooped overhead as they sat in relative silence, both far too stubborn to be the first to apologize.

"WHAT?"

Neville accidently dropped his toast onto the table at the sound of Harry's shriek. "I wonder what that's about," he muttered.

Apparently whatever was in the paper had set Potter off so Toshiro grabbed the nearest copy and began to flip through it. It was when he came upon the third page that he found what had most likely caused Potter's distress. He lay the paper down on the table so that Neville could read it, albeit upside down.

"She's been made High Inquisitor? What the bloody hell does that mean?"

"She's been a success?" Toshiro mumbled, his eyes scanning the inky writing. It seemed that the Ministry was trying to take over Hogwarts.

"This won't end well," Neville said his faced lined with worry.

No, it really wouldn't. The taicho rested his head in his hands, leaning into the table as he did. His head was pounding and the ever present buzzing sensation of the magic in the air was only making matters worse. Ever since he'd come to Hogwarts his sleeping patterns had been a mess. He'd wake in the middle of the night with an ill feeling in the pit of his stomach and wouldn't be able to fall back asleep. He'd tried drinking tea before bed and relaxing exercises that Unohana had given him in the early years of his captaincy, but nothing had worked. With his naturally pale colouring and the dark smudges circling his eyes he looked deader than he actually was. He stared into the dredges of his tea wondering just how much caffeine was in it and if it would manage to do him any good. Although he knew he should increase his caloric intake to try and balance out his energy levels the thought of food only served to twist his stomach into knots. Maybe he'd caught something. Lord knew that with a school filled with about one thousand other students someone must have sneezed in his vicinity at _some_ point.

When he was awake his mind was bogged down and heavy and while he was asleep his thoughts were as twisted as the snakes that he could feel wrapping around his neck and sliding across his chilled skin in his dreams. They would hiss in his ears and run their tongues along his throat as he struggled to get free, their fangs piercing his jugular as liquid ice poured from his veins. He would wake just as the puddle of ice began to encase him, snakes and all, freezing them in their eternal struggle with the fangs still embedded in his skin, injecting visions like poison into his rattled mind.

"...I guess."

Toshiro finally broke from his thoughts realizing that Neville had been speaking to him the entire time. He gave a hesitant nod hoping that it was the appropriate response. When his friend didn't give him an odd look he knew he'd guessed right.

"I heard she's going to be inspecting the teachers," Neville continued, idly fiddling with his fork. "With this position she's got the power to hire and fire any teacher. Or so I've heard."

Well, that didn't bode well, but the Ministry's move wasn't completely unexpected.

"People are saying her detentions are brutal as well," the other whispered. "They're saying she's got this pen that—

"So you've heard the news?"

The pair looked up to find Hermione standing behind Neville, a book clutched in her hands and her hair spilling over her shoulder in waves of curls.

"It's awful isn't it?" she asked, not waiting to be offered a seat. The book landed with a thump on the table as she took up a spot on the bench.

"Yes," Toshiro grumbled. "Quite."

"Things are really changing around here," the witch trudged on. "Not for the better mind you and something needs to be done."

The taicho sighed tiredly, suddenly feeling his headache increasing in intensity. He motioned for her to continue before looking back into the dredges of tea in the bottom of his cup.

She cast a furtive glance up and down the table before leaning in. "Now, I haven't spoken to Harry yet, but I was hoping for your opinion before I brought it up. His mood's been a little...well, it just seemed best to get a second opinion. Other than Ron's."

"A wise choice," the Shinigami said as he straightened up.

She nodded. "I've been thinking about starting a group. A...study group."

It sounded innocent enough, but in Toshiro's experience, that was rarely the case.

"For Defence against the Dark Arts."

"You want to teach students the normal curriculum?" Toshiro asked, his interested slightly piqued.

"I want _Harry _to teach the normal curriculum," she smiled, looking rather pleased with herself.

"Are you sure he'll go for that?" Neville questioned as he ran his thumb over the spine of her textbook.

"If anyone's qualified, it's him," she nodded resolutely.

The hall was beginning to quiet down as students began to head off to their classes and the teachers had long disappeared off to their respective classrooms. Hermione waited for Toshiro to reveal his opinion on the matter, her face expectant. But while the idea sounded nice enough, Toshiro knew it would hardly be as simple as just forming the group. Umbridge would never allow such a thing to form, meaning they'd need to operate in secret and find a place to hold meetings. Never mind the fact that one of the students could easily report them to a teacher if they so chose. And that was without even _considering _Harry. There was a definite chance that he wouldn't agree and really, that would be the smart answer. Still, the taicho couldn't deny that the students' education was going to waste with Umbridge leading the class. Some of them wouldn't be able to fight their way out of a wet paper bag, never mind defend themselves against an enemy.

"So...?" Hermione asked, trying to force on answer out of him.

"It...Well, truth be told, I'm not entirely sure," he relented, watching as a flicker of surprise played across her face. "It would have a lot of benefits, but there are also many dangers that would come with it. And that's if- a rather large if, you can manage to get Harry to agree to it."

The teenage girl seemed to wilt before his eyes for a moment until Neville swooped it. "I'm sure Harry with agree Hermione. And it's a bloody brilliant idea too. He'll do it just to spite Umbridge if nothing else."

When his friend sent a withering look in his direction Toshiro realized that he might have found a better way to let her down. He huffed, rather tired of any social interaction and stood from the table.

"I'm going to head up to class. I suppose I'll see you both there once you finish up."

And with that he made his way from the wall, his robe thrown over his arm, his tie loosened and his sleeves rolled. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

Neville watched as Toshiro disappeared out into the hallway, taking the slight chill that had permeated the air with him. He sighed as he ran a hand through his hair, knowing that he had to get going unless he wanted to be late.

"Is he alright?" Hermione suddenly asked, gathering up her book as she did.

Truthfully, he didn't know. Something had been off about Toshiro since the beginning of the year. He'd looked tired and run down, but as of late whatever the problem was seemed to be weighing on him heavily. His normally pallid skin was practically translucent while the dark circles under his eyes continued to darken. Neville gave Hermione a noncommittal shrug before he began following after his friend, hoping that he'd manage to make it to class before the bell went.

* * *

Believe it or not, Matsumoto actually enjoyed Divination. It wasn't so much the class that she enjoyed but the fact that the students were mostly left to their own devices after the work was assigned. Potions could be creepy with Snape breathing down their necks and History of Magic was a glorified snore-fest. Charms was another fun class with all of the interesting-although rather useless to her-things she was learning, even Care of Magical Creatures was fun. There were so many animals out there that she'd never even heard of. If only they were cuter...But the class she truly, truly _loved _was Defence against the Dark Arts. The saying, keep your friends close, and your enemies closer came to mind. But regardless, while it might have been a tad sadistic of her, there was nothing more enjoyable than aggravating Umbridge. It was quite rewarding to see her face swell like that of the animal she so resembled as her eyes bulged and seemed to strain to break free from the confines of her skull. And frankly, it didn't take much to get a reaction. A little comment here, a spilled inkwell and shattered plate there, and suddenly she was blowing her top. Detention was easy enough to avoid as well with a simple apology and an 'oh, I'm so clumsy'.

The woman turned child sighed as she turned to look over at Melissa Read who was stuffing her face with eggs.

"So, this was being planned for a long time?"

Melissa nodded as she swallowed her mouthful. "Oh yeah, dad was talking about it months ago. Even before Umbridge got here. I think they want her as Headmaster or something. But dad likes Dumbledore better." Smart man.

"_I_ heard they're going to stick him in Azkaban," Celina whispered conspiratorially as she combed her fingers through her blonde locks.

"_Seriously_?" Matsumoto gasped, shock playing across her face. Celina nodded, looking pleased with herself.

"My mum works right close to the Minister and he's always prattling on about how they're going to sack him and stick him in Azkaban."

"That's insane," Sarah muttered as she poured herself come juice. "The Headmaster is so nice. I would hate for that horrid toad to become Headmistress. It'd be terrible and school would be no fun at all."

The others nodded in agreement while Matsumoto just continued to listen to their idle, although information laced, chatter. Her eyes danced up towards where her taicho were sitting, easily taking note of his tired appearance. Maybe he was coming down with something. She too had felt a little run down as of late, although she was clearly faring better than him.

Sarah seemed to notice her staring and a grin spread across her face. "Do you fancy him?"

Not in the way she was imply, no. The other girls all turned to stare up the table.

"Oh, he's sort of scary if you ask me," Melissa said. "But that other boy seems nice. He's always smiling at least."

"Why do you like him?" Sarah continued. "Do you like his white hair? Do you think it's exotic or something?"

"He has nice eyes," Celina chimed in.

"But he always seems miserable," Melissa said. "I think you need someone cheerful and happy. You're much too bright for him."

"His hair is_ plenty_ bright," Celina practically purred. "I can see why you'd fancy him, even if he is a little broody."

Matsumoto had to choke back hysterical laughter as she stood from her seat, trying to take calming breaths.

"Well, I'm off to class," she said, grabbing the book bag that she'd left resting beside her.

"Oh don't be like that," Sarah called as she got up to follow her. "You can like him if you want!"

When the other girl didn't turn back Sarah huffed as she sat back down. "Now look what you did Melissa."

"Me?"

* * *

The problem with History of Magic was that the Professor's voice was a bit like white noise. After a while, it had a way of putting you to sleep. Thus, Toshiro wasn't all that surprised when he eventually found his head drooping and his eyes slipping shut.

Something about...Goblin Wars? _Definitely_ not worth staying awake for.

Something suddenly poked him sharply in the ribs and teal eyes reluctantly slid open to find Neville staring back.

"You're falling asleep."

"Yes," Toshiro muttered, holding in a yawn. "I'm aware."

He closed his text book, contemplating if it would make a decent pillow. Upon laying his head down on it he decided that it would be sufficient. He received another poke only to swat away Neville's hand. Just five minutes. That was all he needed.

"Toshiro," Neville hissed, shaking his shoulder.

"What?" the taicho snapped as best he could without truly waking up.

"What the bloody hell is going on with you?"

"I'm sleeping Neville. In case you didn't know, even dead people need to sleep. So, I would appreciate if you left me to it."

His friend sighed and he hoped that it meant that he'd be left to rest. Why would _he_ need to know about Goblins anyway? He could read the book if his interest was piqued at a later date but for now, sleep would be nice.

Neville grumbled as he wrapped his hand in his sleeve, trying to warm his now chilled skin. If Toshiro kept this up, there'd be frost on the desk. The teen debated for a few minutes between leaving Toshiro to get some sleep-which he obviously needed-and waking him. When he suddenly realised that he could see his own breath he came to a swift decision. With a small shove Toshiro's head was set sliding off his textbook and smacking onto the desk. The dead boy sat up, blinking quickly as he did. His white hair was even wilder than normal and his clothes were ruffled.

"Seriously, are you alright?"

His friend turned towards him slowly, his eyes no longer the brightest of teal, but instead rather dull.

"You look dreadful."

"Thank you, I do try," Hitsugaya grumbled as he pressed his palms to his eyes.

"If you're not well you should go to the Hospital Wing," the taller advised carefully.

"It's fine," the white haired boy said shortly. "_I'm _fine. Just tired."

"If you would just go to the Hospital Wing—

"NEVILLE!" Toshiro suddenly yelled, slamming his fist onto the wooden table, ignoring how it splintered and bit into his skin like the fangs of the snakes that plagued his dreams.

"For the sake of all that is holy, leave it alone! I'm fine!"

The class had gone completely still at his outburst and everyone's eyes had snapped open to stare at them.

Neville swallowed thickly. "Uh- y-yeah. Alright. Sorry."

The bell rang, making the still silent class jump in their seats. Neville gathered up his books with a bit of a scowl on his face before he strode out the door and out into the hall. As the class began to clear out and Professor Binns once again disappeared through the chalkboard Toshiro was left to sit alone in the empty classroom, resisting the urge to pull his hair out by its roots.

Teal eyes stared up hatefully at the door that had just swallowed his first best friend. A deep frustration began to build in his chest; the likes of which he'd rarely felt and his breath began to appear in swirling wisps of white. Frost began to creep up along the window panes as he growled, furiously kicking at the bottom of his desk until the wood fractured.

"_Damn it_!" he yelled, his voice ringing out in the still silence.

* * *

Attending Dinner was out of the question so rather than heading down to the Hall, Toshiro chose to trudge out into the cool autumn air of the school grounds. No doubt word of his little outburst would travel like wildfire as per usual for Hogwarts. While a part of him was still annoyed at Neville, a larger part of him knew that he'd overreacted. He'd been frustrated to begin with and had taken it out on his friend like a petulant child. And Lord knew how he hated being compared to a child.

The tree line of the Forbidden Forest yawned wide before him, welcoming the Shinigami into its dark embrace. The grass froze and crunched beneath his feet and prey and predators alike scattered from the bushes as he passed. It seemed as if the trees themselves could sense his foul mood and seemed to bow and arc away from where he trod, their limbs creaking like old joints as they did.

He passed under the canopy, ignoring the gazes of the creatures that watched his every move. The Shinigami loosed his tie before tossing it away, not really caring what happened to it anymore. He wasn't much of a student anyway; he didn't truly belong in the school like the others did. He wasn't meant to stay amongst the living. He was _dead_. His heart had long stopped beating and his body lost to the passage of time. He was simply a soul covered in magic particles. Maybe they were just fundamentally different.

Out away from the stifling stone walls and constant hum of chatter, the world was peaceful and still except for the fluttering leaves that blew in the breeze. He breathed deeply, as if trying to inhale the world and exhale all of his worries.

He sensed her long before she appeared behind him, muttering as he skirt caught on a few branches.

"Taicho?" she called as she ripped the fabric from the shrub's clutches. "What happened?"

Toshiro turned to look at his subordinate, a tired sigh escaping from between his lips. "Nothing."

"Well, that's not what I heard," she countered, a frown marring her unusually youthful face. "You look terrible taicho!"

He nodded as he looked up through the trees and out at the darkening sky. "So I've been told. How have you been feeling?"

Matsumoto was quiet for a moment before she answered, "Not perfect, but apparently better than you. Do you think you caught something?"

Her superior shrugged as she went to stand by his side, following his gaze up into the sky where the first stars were beginning to appear from amidst the inky blue depths.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" she asked softly.

"Not at the moment."

"You can tell me whenever you want taicho. Or not at all. It's up to you," she whispered, her eyes falling to his pale face that seemed so much younger in the half light.

He never did get around to telling her, but she was content to stay by his side until he turned back to the castle where yet another restless night awaited him.

* * *

Dear Readers,

So, on my birthday I was in a car accident and I seriously thought I was going to die. My friends in the backseat with me couldn't see what was happening but I could see straight through the front window so I saw it all coming. There was something wrong with the car and the steering just suddenly failed. I actually thought my friend was trying to be funny at first by swerving around a bit and I asked her to stop because she was scaring me. The next thing I know we're swerving everywhere and she's screaming that there's something wrong. Long and terrifying story short, the car is wrecked and we're all bruised and sore, but alive. It's amazing that we're not dead. When the cops came I'd managed to kick open my door and climb out and onto the car and I opened the trunk so that my friends could crawl out through there. So...I'm alive, in pain, but alive. And it's a goddamn _miracle_. Thanks for reading,

ForeverFalling.


	13. And Away We Go

A/N: Hey everyone! How have you been? Good I hope! I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed and all of your well wishes, it meant a lot to me to read them all.

**Over 600 reviews! **

**You're all wonderful. This story wouldn't be anything without your support. **

**

* * *

**

_He never did get around to telling her, but she was content to stay by his side until he turned back to the castle where yet another restless night awaited him. _

_

* * *

_

The next few days were quiet. Well, at least for Toshiro. Neville was ignoring him and while he didn't exactly like it, he could understand it. He hadn't meant to yell at him, really he hadn't, and ever since the incident Neville had been sitting with Luna at the Ravenclaw table, leaving Toshiro to sit at the Gryffindor table.

"If you just apologize I'm sure he'll come around," Hermione assured, patting him on the back only to earn a grumble from the white haired boy.

"Really, 'Mione's right," Ron said as he tried to wake Harry who'd slumped over the table fast asleep.

It seemed that the odd dreams that were plaguing him every night were finally beginning to take their toll. Potter was naturally a rather crabby kid, but add in the sleep deprivation, and his issues with Dumbledore and he was practically unbearable.

Toshiro sighed, hanging his head and trying to block out their voices. While his temper had waned, his ill feeling had not. Matsumoto had suggested that he just needed a break, but he'd lasted through all of third year with barely any issues. Well, the broken back had been a..._bit _of an issue...but that'd been an accident. It'd had nothing to do with his personal health. Actually, looking back, there'd been quite a few incidents involving him being injured. He'd hurt his arm, his wrist, his back, his ankle, he'd practically been _eaten _which wasn't exactly a pleasant experience to say the least...you know, maybe feeling a little sick wasn't all that bad.

"Neville doesn't want to stay mad at you," the redhead continued. "Just say you're sorry and you'll be best mates again. It's _Neville_. He's not the kind of bloke to keep a grudge."

Toshiro looked up to glare at the youngest Weasley son before he heaved another sigh, not even bothering to try and drink the tea that Hermione had poured him. Harry stirred slightly as if sensing Toshiro's ire, before he once again settled against one of his textbooks that he was using as a makeshift pillow.

"Both of you are hopeless," Hermione sighed, eyeing Harry as she did. "You've both been impossible to deal with lately."

"Hey," Ron stared defensively. "Harry's having nightmares. What's _his _excuse?"

When the temperature took a sudden nose dive the redhead decided it would be best if he kept quiet.

"Just _talk _to him!" Hermione growled.

Toshiro nodded as best he could with his head resting on the table. "I will."

"When?"

"Later."

The witch made an annoyed sound in the back of her throat before she stood. "Come on Ron, we've got class. Grab Harry."

The aforementioned teen swatted at his friend as he roused from sleep. "Go 'way."

"It's time for class mate," Ron said, tugging at Harry's arm, trying to get him to stand. Toshiro watched on uninterestedly as the pair managed to pull Harry to his feet and shove him towards the hall.

"Are you coming Toshiro?" Hermione called over her shoulder.

The Shinigami reluctantly stood from the table intending to follow after them but was forced to flop back down into his seat as the world began to spin and tilt beneath his feet. Teal eyes snapped shut as he waited for the vertigo to end, vaguely realizing he could feel bile rising in his throat.

"Toshiro? Are you alright?" Hermione called as she began making her way back over.

He nodded before laying his cheek against the cold wood of the table, trying to ground himself as much as possible.

"Are you coming?"

He shook his head as best he could, not finding the determination he needed to actually get up and go to class. He'd just sit there for a while.

Sitting was safe.

* * *

"I'm serious Neville," Hermione said earnestly. "You need to talk to him."

The aforementioned teen just shrugged as he jotted down the note on the board. The room was mostly quiet except for the sounds of quill scratching against parchment as the class took down a rather lengthy note. They could hear smatters of conversations from the front of the room along with the steady beat of rain against the glass panes of the windows. The candles hanging along the walls were lit to cast some light now that the sun refused to grace them with its presence, hidden behind a mask of clouds in the cement coloured sky.

"If he wants to apologize, he will. He's just being stubborn."

The witch tugged at her hair in frustration. "He's not the same without you there! He just sits there."

"Well, he _is _sick," Ron piped up, earning himself a glare.

Neville frowned for a moment, tapping his quill on the edge of his inkwell as he did. "He's still not feeling well?"

"He wouldn't even get up to go to class," Harry said, his voice muffled in the fabric of his sleeve.

"Oh sit up," Hermione growled pulling him up by the back of his robes. "You're going to fall asleep if you keep lying around like that."

"That's the idea," the teen muttered tiredly.

"He's got insomnia or something," Neville said, once again looking up at the board. "If he gets himself a sleeping potion he'll be fine."

"_Please_," Hermione pleaded. "You haven't really seen him! He looks so dreadful."

Ron nodded. "Downright dead if you ask me." Hermione punched him in the shoulder before looking back to the other teen.

"You're _both _being stubborn. One of you needs to be the mature one."

"He's over three times my age!" Neville protested but quieted down at the threatening look he received.

"If you two don't settle this _I _will. And _no one_ will like it."

A shiver ran through the three boy's spines are her ominous words met their ears.

"I'm not really all that mad with him anyway," Neville finally relented. "It's not like he said anything offensive. He just lost his temper."

"Then what the bloody hell is this entire thing about?" Ron groused.

"He's just been in such a foul mood lately..."

"Not sleeping can do that," Harry said, finally opening his eyes to look over at his friends.

"Is it too warm in the dormitory?" Hermione asked. "I know he's uncomfortable when he's too hot."

"It's fine," Ron answered. "And he's by a window; we all know how drafty they get."

The group nodded in agreement.

"Maybe he should try sleeping on the couch in the common room," Harry suggested. "It's comfortable enough, and he can adjust the fire and the windows to get the temperature the way he likes it."

"You know Harry," Hermione began, clearly considering what he'd said. "That's...actually a brilliant idea."

"Thanks."

"Well, that solves that," the witch sighed, happy to have finally gotten somewhere at least.

"Now you've just gotta' talk to him mate," Ron laughed, earning a glare from some of the other students who were trying to do their work. "And everything will be square."

"Maybe," Neville said hesitantly. Somehow, he just knew things couldn't be that simple.

* * *

He dreamed of a light, and a rather pesky one at that. It danced around his face and fluttered past his eyes, its luminescence scarring his retinas in the darkened night. It flew past his ears whispering secret words meant only for him as he stood beneath a canopy of trees. The smell of the ocean teased his nose, the salty wind whipping at his clothes and rippling through the trees that sung above him. Children were laughing somewhere in the distance, dancing around a crackling fire that licked at their heels as they trod too closely. They called to him, their voices happy and young though they were lost among the trees that wrapped around them. He tried to follow the sound, the light still dancing, still scarring and radiant beneath the canopy where not even the moon's light could touch.

He took a step, mildly surprised when his foot came into contact with wood rather than soft earth. The forest was gone; instead it was far off, just visible on the shores of the island that the ocean divided him from. He clutched a small dagger in his hand, watching as the light perched on his shoulder for a moment, warm against his cool skin, before taking flight once again. Its voice was small, almost drowned out by the sound of beating wings and yet it rung out in his very being, it resonated with his soul, calling him forward. The boat rocked beneath his feet, his stomach flipping along with the rising and falling waves that swelled and crested as he followed the light. His bare feet slammed into the guard rail but the light kept going, leaving him dark and alone.

Before he realized what he was doing he was standing on the edge, balancing precariously on his toes. Howling filled his ears, taking the place of the long forgotten laughter of those lost boys who danced around the fire in a celebration of youth and freedom. He stared down into the depths, watching as snakes writhed and hissed, drowning out the wind and the sound of the billowing sails. The light continued to pester him, bouncing off his shoulders and back, sending sparks and stray beams of light tumbling into the inky blackness that was the night.

He stepped off the rail, a plank catching his foot before he could fall into the sea below. The light continued to hurtle itself into his back, encouraging him onward and with only a glance back, he went. The snakes watched in anticipation as he passed over them, his arms spread to keep his balance and the plank of wood bending beneath his weight. The sea churned as he stepped off, the wood wailing in protest as he did. His eyes caught sight of the light dancing, watching on with a mischievous air as he plunged into the black sea. Snakes like water enveloped him, sliding down his throat and filling his lungs where air had once been. They filled his ears, muffling all sound as he sunk lower and lower, the light only a blur hovering above the writhing depths. The slithering creatures encased him, their fangs biting deeply into his freezing skin and he continued to sink like a stone cast away, to be swallowed up by the waves. As his vision began to fade and he continued to fall, with no end in sight, he couldn't help but wonder when he'd forgotten how to fly.

Someone was tapping his shoulder. Alright, someone was _shaking_ his shoulder.

"Mr. Hitsugaya!" Ah, he'd recognize that voice anywhere.

Teal eyes peeled open to find McGonagall standing over him, a stern look plastered across her lined face.

"What, pray tell, are you doing?"

The Shinigami glanced around the hall finding it otherwise empty except for a few students catching up on work during their free period.

"I suppose I nodded off." His head was still pounding but the waves of nausea had all but abated.

"You weren't in class," the woman said sharply, her hands on her hips. "While these classes may not affect your future like they do the other students, I still expect you to _attend _them."

He nodded as he ran a hand through his hair, vaguely wondering what time it was. Well, if he'd missed Transfiguration that meant it would be lunch soon enough and he really wasn't hungry in the least. Maybe he'd just head up to the common room for the rest of the day...Harry could survive one day without him in the vicinity.

"Are you listening to me?"

The taicho looked up, seeing McGonagall still standing beside him and realized that he'd almost forgotten about her.

"I'm sorry, I was distracted for a moment; do continue," he said.

She heaved a great sigh as she gave him an appraising look. "Are you feeling alright?"

His head was still bothering him, but he was feeling better actually. If he went and caught a few more hours sleep he'd probably almost feel one-hundred percent.

"You look very sickly."

"Yes," he began slowly, blinking to clear his foggy vision. "I haven't been sleeping well as of late."

The Deputy Headmistress stared down at him for a moment before turning on her heel and striding away. "If you can't sleep, head over to the Hospital Wing. Madame Pomfrey will give you something. I'll tell her to expect you," she called over her shoulder before disappearing off into the hallway.

Students began filing into the room and he reluctantly stood, not all that enthused with the idea of sitting in the bustling hall. The taicho was rather tempted to ignore McGonagall's words and just head up to the common room and yet...the promise of a quiet place to sleep was quite enticing. And if he was actually getting sick like he suspected he was-although he'd never admit it-, there was no better place to be.

The halls were empty as he meandered down them, not really in the mood to rush. It was raining, he realized, as he passed a window with raindrops cascading down the glass like tears. The Shinigami paused for a moment, staring out onto the rain washed grounds. Maybe he really did need a break. Dumbledore was putting the plan together, Harry was avoiding Umbridge like the plague she was...and it wasn't like Neville would be lonely without him. Matsumoto could keep an eye on things for a few days if he requested it of her.

He leaned into the glass, thumping his forehead against his gently. He could even go to Grimmauld Place for the weekend; work with the Order and gather some more information. Either way, a break from the school could be exactly what he needed. Besides, living with about one thousand children didn't exactly bode well where germs and colds were concerned. Teenagers weren't exactly known for their hygiene. He'd lost count of how many times he'd seen someone sneeze into their hands and then touch a doorknob or something of the sort.

"Admiring the grounds, Mr. Hitsugaya?"

The white haired boy turned slightly to find Dumbledore standing beside him, blue eyes locked onto the Forbidden Forest. He frowned for a moment, realizing that he hadn't noticed the man walking down the hall.

"I just so happened to cross paths with Professor McGonagall on my way to my office- I'd been heading back from having an intriguing conversation with Nick—

"I get it," Toshiro cut him off, wanting to finish the conversation as quickly as he could manage. "She told you."

"Ah, not in a very good mood I see." He chuckled, adjusting the spectacles perched on his nose.

"No, not particularly."

The headmaster smiled for a moment before he turned to look down at who could be considered his newest employee.

"I've been hearing things. Fighting with Mr. Longbottom, skipping classes...These are not exactly things I like to hear about my employees. But, given the fact that you're sick, I'm willing to overlook some things."

"Oh, thank you _ever _so much," Hitsugaya grumbled, not entirely sure if the man was serious or not. But, at the moment, he wasn't in the mood to give him the benefit of the doubt. They may have called a truce, but that sure as hell didn't mean he liked Dumbledore. Frankly, even tolerating him could be a bit of a chore at times.

"Severus and I spoke more about your...proposition," the Headmaster started. "I hope you know that it will be quite risky if you go through with it. And I can't guarantee your safety."

Toshiro exhaled slowly, "It must be done, even if it's dangerous. I'm surprised you're hesitating. If all goes well, it will be beneficial for the both of us."

"Beneficial yes...," the old man said carefully, his hand trailing over the stonework of the windowsill. "But you wouldn't be able to tell them, and I'm sure you know what they'll suspect of you."

"At this point, I believe it's unavoidable," Toshiro muttered quietly, deciding it was about time to wrap up their conversation. "But, if you'll excuse me, Madame Pomfrey is expecting me and I'd hate to keep her waiting."

"Ah," Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, best be on your way then."

The Shinigami breathed a sigh of relief as he slipped away from the Headmaster, starting in the general direction of the Infirmary. After the long trek up the stairs and down several hallways, Toshiro finally arrived at the double door entrance to the Hospital Wing where Madame Pomfrey was waiting with an impatient frown marring her face.

"I've been waiting for the better part of a half-hour Mr. Hitsugaya," she tut, ushering him into the room.

"I apologize."

The large airy room was just how he remembered it: white.

"Shoes and robe off," the woman called as she strode across the room. "I'll make you some tea. We'll take the all-natural route for you."

He nodded as he carefully slid out of his robe, rather glad she'd remembered his dislike of most potions.

"I must say, I was hoping the month would be out before I saw you in here."

"Just a minor case of insomnia, I assure you," he said easily as he took a seat on the nearest bed.

The room was bright as per usual, but today the light seemed soft and welcoming. That taicho stifled a yawn as he lay back on the bed, the comforter smooth against his skin. He stared up at the ceiling as he listened to the matron bustle around the room preparing Lord knew what, but other than the occasional thump or clank the room was quiet. His eyes burned as he blinked vaguely hoping that this time, he'd forgo the dreams that had been plaguing him for the last while.

"Falling asleep on me, are you?" He heard Pomfrey call from across the room in a rather knowing tone.

"No," he mumbled his vision fogging until he let his hooded eyes finally fall shut. "I'm just resting my eyes for a moment..."

He wasn't awake to hear her laugh as he pulled off his shoes and closed the curtains.

* * *

Lunch was a quiet affair in which Neville waited on edge, wondering where Toshiro had gotten to. He'd skipped all of their classes that morning and was still nowhere to be found. He scanned the hall once again, looking for a flash of white within a sea of brown, blonde, and red. Normally, he wouldn't have worried all that much, but if Toshiro was seriously ill there was no telling what might have happened.

"What- what if he collapsed in some hallway," he worried aloud to Ron who was sitting opposite him.

"He's probably off sleeping somewhere," the redhead reasoned, although he too was beginning to wonder just where the dead boy had disappeared to.

"I'm sure he's _fine, _Neville," Harry said, more awake than he'd been earlier in the day. "Ron's probably right. He was seriously tired this morning. Hell, he was asleep at the table."

The trio all nodded in agreement but Neville continued to fret.

"I can't—

"Oi, Neville!"

The four Gryffindores turned to see Toshiro's first year friend stalking over to them. She sat down with a huff beside Ron, not noticing when he blushed lightly and moved over to give her more room.

"Do you know where Tai— Toshiro is?"

"Um...hello," Hermione said hesitantly. "You are?"

Matsumoto gave her an appraising look before breaking into a wide smile. "Matsumoto Rangiku. But everyone calls me Ran around here."

"Ran, as in the cat?" Ron asked, rather confused.

"A-ah, yes," Neville said suddenly. "They met while Toshiro was traveling a few years ago. He said that the cat reminded him of her personality."

Hermione frowned, "So, you're a friend of his?"

"Something of the sort," Rangiku laughed before turning back to Neville. "So, do you know where he is?"

"I've been looking but I can't find him either."

The girl huffed as she tossed her hair over her shoulder, "I'll find him myself then."

"Why are you looking for him in the first place?" Harry piped up suspiciously.

The girl stared at him, her storm coloured eyes locking onto his own green and he was surprised when she suddenly seemed to flinch away from him.

"I- It doesn't matter," she muttered, quickly looking away. "I know he hasn't been feeling well...could he be in the Infirmary?"

"The Hospital Wing," Neville pondered for a moment. "I actually hadn't thought to look there."

Matsumoto looked rather exasperated as she blew her bangs away from her eyes. "Well, you'll probably find tai-Toshiro there. So go and talk to him," she added forcefully, her hands slamming down onto the wooden tabletop, almost upsetting a pitcher of water.

"Alright," Neville yelped. "I'll talk to him!"

The young girl sat back with a pleased look playing across her face. "Good, because he's been miserable these past few days."

With that she stood from the table with a flourish, half of the Gryffindores watching as she strode the hall, leaving as quickly as she'd come.

"Are you _sure _they don't have something going on?" Ron asked, his eyes still staring after the beautiful girl.

"I'm positive," Neville nodded.

"Toshiro doesn't exactly strike me as the dating type," Harry said casually. "Besides, it'd be a little weird if he _were _dating her, wouldn't it? I mean," his voice fell to a whisper. "With him being dead and her alive."

"Yes...," Hermione trailed off. "That could make things a little awkward."

"They're _not _together," Neville protested as he stood intent on finding Toshiro and speaking with him. Their little fight had gone on long enough and even if Toshiro wasn't ready to end it, he was.

"Look, I'm going to go—

"We know," Harry smirked. "Get going."

The other teen gave a small wave before running off leaving the three friends alone.

"It's about time."

"Harry," Hermione suddenly started. "I've- well, we've both been meaning to speak to you about something. An idea that we have actually. We—

"Can it wait?" The Boy Who Lived asked as he stood. "The bell's about to go."

"Uh- yes, we'll talk tonight. Actually, Toshiro might wish to have a say as well," the witch stuttered.

Ron sent her a pointed look as Harry gathered his bag. She gave a small shrug as the redhead sighed tiredly.

"If you don't ask him soon, we might as well not do it," He hissed while Harry was preoccupied.

"I know," she grumbled, picking up her own belongings. "Tonight. We'll do it tonight."

"Not _we_," Ron stressed. "You. _You'll _do it tonight. I thought Toshiro didn't want anything to do with it."

"He didn't say that," Hermione argued. "He was indifferent."

"Oh, and that's _so _much better."

"What are you two going on about?" Harry asked, looking over at them curiously.

"Ron was just asking me if he could borrow my notes," Hermione said simply. "And I was saying _no_. He won't be borrowing them for quite a while."

The redhead paled as she stalked from the hall.

"Mate, what did you do to set her off?" the glasses wearing teen wondered.

"Nothing much," Ron muttered grumpily.

His friend gave him a disbelieving look before shrugging. "Whatever you say."

* * *

Once upon a time, Neville had been very hesitant about breaking school rules like skipping class and sneaking into off limits areas. Then he met Toshiro. Calling him a bad influence would be putting it lightly; but a friend was a friend, and Toshiro was a pretty damn good one all things considered. Besides, not many people could claim that their best friend was a dead warrior sent to protect a school full of children at the risk of his own...afterlife. Neville knew he was lucky because for some reason, although he could probably be friends with whomever he chose, Toshiro had picked _him_. And while he still wasn't entirely sure what Toshiro saw in him to warrant his friendship, Neville knew he was one of the luckiest kids around.

Still, that didn't mean he'd let Toshiro get away with murder. He was no longer the push over he'd been a few years ago- which he owed mostly to the aforementioned dead boy- and it was about time he asserted himself more. He tended to just go along with what Toshiro said, maybe protesting a bit, but he went along with it none the less. But no more! Besides, if he continued to be a meek little follower...well, that wasn't exactly exciting when compared to the Boy Who Lived, or one of the smartest witches of their year...or even a really funny redhead and a peculiar blonde. Toshiro had a knack for keeping interesting company and he...wasn't all that interesting.

So as he snuck into the Hospital Wing he did so knowing that he was not going to apologize. Sure, he'd settle their fight; he'd guide them to some middle ground. But he wasn't giving in. They were going to reach a mutual agreement. And yet, his resolve crumbled as soon as he found Toshiro passed out in one of the beds, his face more pale than he'd ever seen and dark circles smudged beneath his eyes. He was already losing and Toshiro hadn't even woken up yet. This couldn't possibly bode well for him. The teen hesitated for a moment, tempted to simply turn around and leave his friend to sleep but as a pained sound escaped those pale lips he decided to stick to his plan. It took a bit of shaking and calling but eventually he found himself staring into a pair of clouded teal eyes.

"Snakes," The smaller boy mumbled. "I can feel them in my chest."

Neville frowned for a moment as Toshiro lay back against his pillow.

"It's hard to hear anything else. They're so loud."

The teen gave his friend another shake, realizing he was still asleep and was relieved when the white haired boy blinked and finally focused on him.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Toshiro frowned a moment, gaining his bearings as he sat up and the blanket slid away. "I was dreaming again..."

"Yeah well, that tends to happen when you sleep," Neville said quietly, trying to break the odd tension in the air that seemed to have materialized from nowhere.

"You're speaking with me again?" the Shinigami asked, his voice undeniably curious.

"Yes."

"So, you've forgiven me?"

Neville nodded and smiled kindly, rather pleased with where everything was headed. He hadn't asked if he was sorry, but rather if he'd forgiven him. Maybe he didn't need to find a middle ground. He was quite enjoying the ground they were on right now.

"You missed class," he said lamely as he sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Yes, I suppose I did," Toshiro murmured quietly, his voice subdued. "I think...that I need to leave."

A sudden lump formed in his throat at his friend's words, as if his heart had decided that it'd have a merry time trying to choke him. He remained silent; tense, as he waited for the other boy to continue.

"I haven't been...well and I'm not sure what to do."

"If you're sick, staying here would be your best option," he reasoned carefully. No. No, it wasn't his best option. If something was truly wrong, Toshiro should go back to his home. See a doctor who truly understood him and his kind. Madame Pomfrey was great, but dead people weren't exactly within her range of expertise.

"You think so?" the smaller asked, his tone light, almost airy compared to his normal sullen or sarcastic way of speaking.

"Yes." No.

Neville stared over at the white haired boy who seemed thinner than usual, far frailer considering how strong he always was. Despite his size and appearance Toshiro had always seemed bigger than he actually was. He had a lot of presence to him; he could practically fill a room with it. But now for the first time since Neville had met him, Toshiro was small. Small and ghostly. Half hidden beneath the bedcovers, he was practically as white as the sheets, his eyes bold like jewels against his pallid skin. There was something seriously wrong...terribly wrong if Toshiro was like this.

"If you stay, I'm sure Madame Pomfrey can help you get better," he said, his words burning his tongue like acid as they spilled from his mouth with barely a hint of a lie.

Toshiro nodded, staring down at his hands that he had just realized he couldn't stop from weakly trembling. "I'm sure you're right. Staying is probably my best option for now."

"I'll uh, leave you to rest," Neville said as he stood.

"I'll try to be down for dinner," was the achingly tired reply he received as he hurried from the room with only a glance back.

The teen gripped at the hem of his shirt, his throat burning from his own acidic lies. He felt like a hole would surely burn in his stomach and for a moment he was tempted to go back to the Hospital Wing and tell Toshiro what he really thought.

In the end, he didn't.

* * *

Dear Readers,

Life has been crazy, so let's focus on fiction instead. Alright, so for the past two years I've had an idea for a story and that idea is: to write a NaruSasu (my OTP) version of Mr. &Mrs Smith. Of course, I always said I'd never write a yaoi just because I didn't think I could. Well, I've finally decided to give it a shot. I'm about 2000 words into the prologue and it still needs a lot of work, but it feels good to finally be writing it. I need to get it out of my system. It'll be rated Teen though because truthfully, I'm not ready to write a lemon. I know that if I wanted, I could write one, but...I'm not comfortable with writing one at the moment. So yeah. I'll have to see where this goes. Thanks for reading,

ForeverFalling.


	14. A Meeting of Minds

A/N: Hey everyone, how have you been? Good I hope! Thanks to all those who reviewed, it really makes my day to read them all.

**Over 700 Reviews! **

**You're all amazing. Thank you so much.**

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* * *

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_He felt like a hole would surely burn in his stomach and for a moment he was tempted to go back to the Hospital Wing and tell Toshiro what he really thought. _

_In the end, he didn't. _

_

* * *

_Harry grumbled quietly as he stared up at the ceiling of the dormitory, idly rubbing at his forehead as his scar gave a slight twinge. Hermione had come up with some...interesting ideas in the years that he'd known her, but this one really took the prize. There was no way he could teach other students Defence against the Dark Arts, and who would want to learn from him anyway? The Boy Who Lived wasn't exactly the most liked public figure at the moment. But regardless of its craziness, the idea had burrowed its way into his mind, finding a warm place to settle down.

He knew that something needed to be done if they wanted any hope in passing their OWLs. But a club? And not just a club, but an illegal one that he'd be leading. Well, he'd never run into any problems with breaking school rules before. For once, Harry actually wanted Toshiro's opinion on the idea because, other than Hermione, he was the most sensible kid he knew. Besides, if they were going to do this, he had a feeling Toshiro's assistance would be needed. The only problem was, at the moment he was hidden away, sick in the Hospital Wing, and if Neville's look had told him anything the boy might be there for a while.

There'd been something wrong with Hitsugaya for weeks, maybe months. It'd started out rather innocently, he'd been having a hard time sleeping-considering Harry woke up mid dream most nights, he'd noticed that Toshiro was often awake- and then he'd grown a sickly sort of pale and gotten irritable. Could dead people even get the flu? That seemed to break some fundamental law in his mind. But if somehow a dead person _could _get the flu, it'd started months ago and well, the flu didn't last for that long.

The teen sighed as he rubbed at his tired eyes hoping that sleep would grace him with its presence. Ron was talking in his sleep again, his voice muddled and stifled by his pillow. Quidditch would be starting up soon enough and the redhead had seemed interested when Angelina had come to speak with him the other day about last year's members being present for tryouts. The idea of Ron joining the Quidditch team was a pleasant one. Hell, if Fred and George were anything to go by, Ron was probably a brilliant player. The teen sighed as he flipped his pillow over, enjoying the feel the coolness against his neck.

A bat flew past the window, a shadow flickering across the wall. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

The next few days passed slowly and seemed to blur together. Toshiro had left the Hospital Wing the afternoon after he'd arrived, apparently having felt much better after a good night's sleep. Harry could tell that he still wasn't well, but there was a definite improvement. The teen had given Hermione's idea some thought and after speaking with Toshiro had found out that the white haired boy didn't exactly _approve, _but believed that if he put his mind to it, that Harry would be up for the daunting task of teaching anyone who was willing. He'd also expressed rather resolutely that he had no interest in joining. And Harry could respect that. Groups weren't exactly Toshiro's thing.

Neville on the other hand, seemed dead set on trying to convince his friend to join with him. And, while Neville was a great guy, Harry really hoped that Toshiro did wind up joining because he doubted anyone else would be willing to allow Neville to shoot spells at them. Especially ones they'd never practiced before. It really was an accident waiting to happen. And hell, Toshiro was already dead, what was the worst that could happen?

"No Neville." Ah, speak of the devil.

"Oh, come on Toshiro. Luna will join, and it'll be great practice."

Harry looked up as the pair walked towards where he, Ron and Hermione were sitting eating breakfast. Toshiro looked over at his friend, an eyebrow quirked and his lips thin.

"Practice would do you some good but I won't be in the vicinity while you're doing it. Never mind having you _aim _at me!"

"It won't be anything too bad," Hermione assured as they sat down, Toshiro putting some space between him and Neville- apparently it had something to do with hot tea being spilled and a shirt being ruined.

"Just practical things that would come up in the course work."

Toshiro gave her a sceptical look as he reached for a pitcher of water. "Practical doesn't mean that I won't wind up with a hole through my stomach or transported to the middle of the lake."

"Hey," Neville protested as Hermione made a face at the mental image. "I'm not _that _bad."

The white haired boy ignored him in favour of biting into a slice of plain toast.

"Hermione's right though," Harry said. "It's going to be course work. We're not going to try anything crazy."

"We should add some stuff though," Ron started. "Practical stuff- but spells not in the course. One's that we'll need though."

"Ron's right," Hermione nodded. "Besides, if Harry's in charge, he can add whatever he feels in necessary. As long as it isn't illegal."

"It's an _illegal _club," Toshiro stressed. "And you're worried about acting within the rules now of all times?"

"Are you saying that we should teach students banned spells and charms," she hissed, looking scandalized.

The Shinigami shrugged. "In for a penny, in for a pound. The worst they can do is expel you."

Hermione seemed faint at the very idea.

"Which I doubt Dumbledore would allow to happen, but even if it did, if Umbridge continues to gain power within the school, well, it wouldn't be much of a tragedy now would it," he said lightly before he took another bite of toast. "A school is supposed to facilitate learning and if it isn't doing what it's designed to do, well, it just becomes a waste of valuable land and time."

"So...you're saying we make it as illegal as possible?" Ron asked unsurely.

"Within the realms of reason," the white haired boy nodded. "There are lines that even Dumbledore wouldn't be able to pull you back from once you'd crossed them. Be wary, be cautious. But don't be cowards. You shouldn't be held back by what Umbridge is telling you that you can or can't do. There comes a time when authority must be disobeyed for the common good. And that time has come."

The group fell silent considered his words as he went back to contently munching on his breakfast.

"I'll begin spreading word," Hermione started quietly, glancing up and down the table, scouting out possible members. "To those I think we can trust. I'll call the first meeting for while we're in Hogsmead. That way we're away from the school and Umbridge."

"Don't forget to talk to people from different houses," Neville reminded. "Everyone will need all the help they can get. After all, we're all stuck with Umbridge."

"This...could actually work," Ron laughed in disbelief, clapping Harry on the back as he did.

"Yeah," Harry nodded, a sense of calm washing over him. "It actually could."

* * *

Hermione made quick work of spreading word about the new club that they were to form and by the time the Hogsmead trip rolled around everyone who was to be invited to attend had been notified. The idea was apparently an exciting one judging by the way the other students reacted upon hearing the news. Kids were jumping at the chance to get back at Umbridge- better secretly than not at all- and others were just thrilled with the idea of actually learning something of value.

Toshiro watched from his place sitting on Neville's bed as Harry pulled on his jacket and a hat.

"Did your uncle finally sign that form for you?" he asked curiously, remembering the last Hogsmead trip that he'd been on.

"Actually," the teen smiled. "Sirius signed it for me."

The Shinigami gave a small nod, glad to see a smile upon Harry's face for once.

"Are you coming to the meeting?"

The dead boy sighed as he buttoned the front of his coat. "Personally, I'd rather not. But I'm afraid you've gotten Neville interested in this whole thing."

"So, you finally gave in?" the glasses wearing teen chuckled, shoving his feet into his shoes.

Hitsugaya cast a glare in Harry's direction before making his way out of the room. "I didn't _give in_. I simply decided to do him a favour."

"Right."

Harry grinned as he followed after the smaller Gryffindor. Toshiro could pretend to be a hard ass all he wanted, but there was no denying his soft spot for Neville.

They made their way down the stairs, Toshiro steadying himself with his pale hand clasped the railing as they went.

"Do you know how many people Hermione invited?"

Toshiro frowned for a moment, debating if he should actually tell Harry just how many people would probably show up.

"Just a few." It was for the best.

"I don't want this to turn into a giant production," Harry muttered as they stepped through the portrait hole. "It's going to be hard enough to do this without getting caught. Never mind with ten people."

Toshiro winced. Oh, this would be interesting.

"Yes...ten people would make it rather difficult."

"What's wrong?" Potter suddenly asked.

"Nothing," the Shinigami assured him, picking up the pace so that they could make it to the gates more quickly. _Teenagers._ He was really getting too old to deal with this crap. And frankly, he was hoping for plausible deniability when everything finally hit the fan. If he didn't admit to knowing anything, Potter couldn't get angry with him. Because really, an angry Potter, was an annoying Potter who made his job miserable. Having to guard someone who glared at you as if they would enjoy nothing more than to eviscerate you wasn't exactly pleasant.

"It's not nothing!" the other protested, jogging to catch up. "What was with that look?"

"What look?" Toshiro asked in what he hoped to be an innocent voice. Going by the glare he was receiving he knew that he'd failed miserably. But hell, that was nothing new. Innocence had never exactly suited him.

"You _do _know how many people are coming, don't you!"

"I haven't the slightest idea," Toshiro lied through his teeth, resisting the urge to take the stairs three at a time. Hell, at this point, he wasn't against the idea of just jumping over the railings to the floor below. Plausible deniability was slowly slipping through his fingers. The Shinigami glanced over at the teen, blinking rapidly to dispel the image of a snake wrapping smoothly around his upper arm. He sped up yet again, hoping that the fresh air would do him some good.

Harry continued to pester him as they entered the main entrance hall but Toshiro broke away from him and went to join Neville and Luna who were standing off to the side.

"Are you alright?" Neville asked quietly. "You look ill."

Toshiro assured him that he was fine as students began filing out of the hall and down the steps to the grounds. The air was frigid, which was just what he needed.

"I must admit," Luna started quietly in her trademark tone. "I'm rather excited to be joining this club. It shall be quite interesting."

"I'm sure it will be," he nodded.

"I wonder who else will be joining," Neville said. "I know Hermione asked a bunch of people, but I'm not sure how many will actually come. It's a bit of a risk with Umbridge skulking around like she is."

Snow was beginning to fall from the cement coloured sky as they continued to walk, the ice covered grass crunching under their feet. Neville sent Toshiro a curious look but the Shinigami simply shrugged, having nothing to do with the sudden snowfall although thankful for it. The wind blew through the trees of the Forbidden Forest and ripped at their clothes as they made the trek towards the village. They were set to meet in the Hogshead- which was apparently a bar or something along those lines, and a sketchy one at that. The kind that failed to meet health code regulations and small children avoided walking by once the sun went down. Apparently this made it the perfect place to meet because no teacher or student would be caught dead in it otherwise. There actually might have been some sort of unspoken school rule that students weren't allowed into the establishment. Hermione said they'd chance it.

Upon entering the shop Toshiro decided that what it lacked in charm, it made up for in dirt. The patrons watched as Hermione chose a table by the window and the white haired boy surveyed the area. He met several curious gazes, many of them turning away once he locked eyes with them. A rather twitchy looking woman at the bar gave him a nod before turning back to her murky drink.

"I think they've accepted you," Neville whispered into his ear, earning himself a glare.

The Shinigami strode up to the bar, the bartender looking up from the glass he was wiping. "I'll have a water please."

The old man nodded and began bustling about getting it for him. When the glass was finally set in front of him, Toshiro frowned. It was brown. And in his experience, that wasn't a good thing. He nodded his thanks none the less and made his way over to the table that they'd chosen.

"You're not actually going to drink that, are you?" Ron asked, a disgusted look adorning his face.

Hitsugaya shrugged before sniffing the water. Well, it didn't smell foul.

"I'll grab us a couple Butterbeers," Harry said, quickly snatching the glass from the younger looking boy's grasp and setting on the other side of the table.

Toshiro nodded indifferently, noticing how they'd attracted several stares. It was far too quiet. It would have been better if they'd met out by the Shrieking Shake where people didn't like to go too often. Even the noisier bar down the street would have been better; they all looked far too out of place here. Just as he was about to voice his opinion the bell over the door rang and several other students walked in, Fred and George among them. As more and more people began to arrive Toshiro realized that he had no idea who many of them were. Dean Thomas was there, as was Lee Jordan, the twins' friend. He of course recognized Cho Chang and Ginny and he could see Seamus sitting beside Dean. Upon some thought he knew one of the girls to be the captain of the Quidditch team. Angelique or something like that.

When about twenty five people arrived Harry was looking pale and nervous in his seat. Green eyes slid to meet with teal.

"_Ten?_"

"You came up with that number," Toshiro said casually.

Harry choked for a moment before Fred passed him a bottle of Butterbeer and he began to drown his sorrows. When it seemed as if everyone was settled Hermione cleared her throat, calling everyone to attention. The group settled down, content to be out of the cold and to have a bottle of Butterbeer clasped in their hands.

"Well...um, there's a reason why we invited you here today," she began nervously, her eyes shifting around the room. "We...need a teacher. A real teacher, someone who actually knows what they're talking about."

"And Harry's that person?" one of the students from Ravenclaw called. Hermione swallowed for a moment.

"Yes, at least, he's our best option. It's up to us, if we want to be able to protect ourselves from...Voldemort."

Gasps rang out through the students as Toshiro sighed, resting his chin in his hand. It never ceased to amaze him that people could fear a name. And an odd one at that...French or something.

"There's a war coming, and we need to be ready."

"Maybe if Harry told us more about Diggory...," one of the boys suggested.

Harry's face darkened as he suddenly stood. "If you're all here to have me tell you about Cedric, you'd better leave."

The boy had the sense to look embarrassed as Harry stared him down. "You don't know what it's like. To feel like you're about to die and know that if you make a mistake you're dead. It's not like class where you can try again; there aren't any second chances."

A blanket of silence had fallen over the group as he spoke. The rest of the meeting went relatively smoothly and ended with everyone signing their name to a piece of parchment that Hermione had brought along with her. They'd need to find a place to actually hold the meetings, and with everyone's schedules, finding a time that worked for them would be a task in itself.

Everyone began to clear out as Hermione set the parchment in front of Toshiro and held out the quill for him to take.

"Well? Are you joining?"

The Shinigami stared down at the long list of names.

"Please Toshiro," Neville asked pleadingly. Luna remained silent but her eyes bore into his before he finally relented and took the quill.

"I _detest_ magic," he huffed. With a swift hand he scratched the kanji onto the parchment at the very end of the list.

"Don't make me regret this," he said as he handed back the quill and stood.

"I promise you won't," Hermione beamed, rolling the paper and shoving it into her bag.

He really doubted that.

* * *

Dear Readers,

Not going to lie, I've had this chapter done for about a week now but I've been so sick, I couldn't work up the energy to edit it. I feel like I'm on a bit of a roll now that I've got this chapter done. I've even started the next one already. I haven't been this productive with my writing since...well, maybe late 2009. After that, I turned into a lazy asshole. I won't deny it. Well, I also got a lot busier, but still. A lazy procrastinator am I. Thanks for reading,

ForeverFalling.


	15. A Kick to the Head

A/N: Hey everyone! How have you been? Good I hope! Thanks to all those to who reviewed, it really makes my day to read them all.

**A bit of a filler chapter. I wanted to get to the first DA meeting but I've run out of time. It was either this, or no update for three more weeks. Editing was done at 2AM so point out any errors and I'll fix them once I get home. **

* * *

"_Don't make me regret this," he said as he handed back the quill and stood. _

"_I promise you won't," Hermione beamed. _

_He really doubted that. _

_

* * *

_

Hitsugaya woke Monday morning to someone shaking his shoulder in a most annoying way. He reached out a pale hand to smack the offender that dared to wake him after a night of tossing and turning. When the shaking continued and his covers were pulled away Toshiro finally opened his eyes to find Ron staring down at him.

"Come on," the redhead urged as he pulled the Shinigami up by the arm. "You've got to see this!"

"What?" he asked dazedly as he was tugged out of bed.

"Get dressed and meet me downstairs," Ron said urgently, throwing a sweater at the smaller student before he began rummaging through Toshiro's trunk and pulled out his tie and robe.

"Come on," he urged, shoving the articles into the taicho's hands before practically bolting from the room.

Glancing out the window Toshiro couldn't help but notice that it was _damn _early. Normally, most students –Ron included- wouldn't have been up for at least another hour and yet, the dorm room was completely empty except for him. Toshiro began pulling on his clothes, barely taking the time to tie his tie before darting out of the room. Something big had to be happening to have everyone out of bed before seven. He lightly ran down the stairs finding the common room just as deserted as the dorm room had been, with only Ron waiting for him at the portrait hole. He wasn't given much time to think before his arm was once again grabbed and he was practically dragged down to the Main Hall where students were already milling about, all staring at one thing: nailed to the stone wall was a plaque housed in a small wood and glass case entitled Educational Decree Number Twenty-Four.

Toshiro squinted up at it, trying to discern what it said that had everyone running amuck. "All student organizations are hence forth...oh."

This certainly didn't bode well for them.

"Yeah, oh," Ron growled, finally having let go of his shoulder. "Someone must have told her. There's no way she could have found out so soon otherwise."

Hitsugaya nodded in agreement; there'd been a leak somewhere. He began running through the list of members in his mind trying to discern who the traitor could be. He rather doubted that it was a Gryffindor- their sense of loyalty was so strong it could be detrimental at times. That left the Ravenclaws...and maybe a few Hufflepuffs. At this point, he wasn't exactly sure who belonged to what if they weren't members of Gryffindor.

"What are we going to do?" Ron asked worriedly. "It was dangerous enough _before _this. Bloody hell, people might start quitting before we've even had our first meeting."

"We'll just have to be more careful," Toshiro started, making sure no one was listening to what they were saying. "This doesn't change anything. It was logical to assume that she'd somehow figure out that we were up to something. It just happened sooner than expected."

The other teen looked pale and nervous but the taicho's words seemed to calm him a little. The redhead's hands shook slightly as he nodded and they began making their way into the Hall where some of the other students were beginning to filter into. The house tables were relatively empty but some were starting to fill up considering how many people were out of bed. Harry and Hermione were already seated about halfway down whispering quietly and looking just as anxious as Ron. They looked up as he and Ron sat down, breaking off whatever they'd been saying.

"Did you see it?" Harry asked.

The taicho nodded. "I was just saying to Ron, it doesn't change anything. We'll just have to be more careful."

Harry ran a hand over his face tiredly, his shoulders slumping as he leaned into the table. "I just want to know how she found out."

"If it's a member, we'll know soon enough," Hermione said coolly. "There's a charm on the paper that will make it rather obvious. If we don't hear any screaming or a commotion before breakfast, it wasn't one of us."

Toshiro was grateful- and not for the first time- for Hermione's foresight but at this point, it didn't matter _who'd _done it, what mattered was that Umbridge knew. There wasn't much they could do even if they did find the culprit, if there was in fact one.

People continued to find their way into the hall and soon enough several members arrived, all casting careful glances in their direction looking nervous and scared. When a couple of them seemed to be heading in their direction Hermione gave them a pointed look and made a shooing motion with her hand. The others seemed to get the message and turned back towards their designated tables, pretending to have been looking at the ceiling or trying to catch one of their friend's attention. By the time breakfast was in full swing all members were accounted for and there'd been no commotion or screaming to speak of.

"So, we know she found out some other way," Hermione nodded, confirming what she'd already believed to be true.

"I think it would've been better if it _had _been one of them," Ron groused. "Better than not knowing how she knew."

"But, this means that we haven't got a group of traitors," Harry said rather happily, clearly relieved that no one had seen fit to betray him. When half the Wizarding World was against you, it was nice to know you could count on _some _people at least.

"A traitor can be easily dealt with," Toshiro pointed out, eyes scanning the room. He could feel the weight of several stares, some friendly and others not. With a quick glance up at the teacher's table it was clear that Umbridge was watching them. Watching them squirm in the wake of her move. Now, the ball was in their field, and it was their turn.

"Ron's right, we now have no idea how she knew. She could have spies, or an invisibility cloak like you do Harry. This opens the door to many possibilities. None of them good for us."

Harry made a sour face as he sipped his juice. "I guess. This just isn't our day."

"Actually," Ron grinned, the sudden shift in his mood making the others look at him curiously. "It _might_ be. I heard that Snape is getting inspected today."

Harry choked on his juice, laughing loudly.

"This should be interesting," Hermione chuckled, picking at some eggs that she'd piled onto her plate but barely touched.

The only issue with this was the fact that before Potions they had double History of Magic and even Toshiro had to admit that the class was rather dry. Generally, he'd taken to bringing a book from the library with him and reading to pass the time or he and Neville played some sort of game. Today, as it would turn out, was a Hang Man day and they spent the entire period coming up with outrageous phrases trying to stump each other.

"They have to be in _English_," Neville growled after their fifth consecutive game. "Japanese is cheating."

Toshiro smirked as he crossed out the game and set up another. "You never said we weren't allowed to use other languages."

"I figured it was just understood," the other teen muttered as he grabbed the quill from his friend and began drawing the lines beneath the empty stage. None of the students seemed to be paying attention to the lesson; even Hermione was staring out of one of the windows. Everyone was tense with excitement for what was to come and for once, the entire student body seemed to be on Snape's side. The Sorting Hat had preached unity among the houses, but Toshiro doubted that it meant for the students to unite in their hate for Umbridge. But still, unity was unity.

When the bell finally rang everyone rushed from the classroom intent on getting to Potions early and upon their arrival Umbridge was already seated at the back of the class, her famous clipboard clasped at the ready. Everyone filed in, casting expectant glances at both of the teachers, bets already placed. The instructions for the lesson were on the board as per usual and for the first half of the class everything was rather normal. Harry screwed up, Neville almost cut off Toshiro's finger when he wasn't looking, and the Slytherins were snickering away on their half of the room. When Umbridge finally began her own little version of the Inquisition, the entire room fell silent, only the sound of bubbling cauldrons filling the air.

"So," she started. "How long have you been teaching at Hogwarts?"

"Fourteen years," Snape practically sneered, looking as if he smelled something fowl in the air- which was distinctly possible judging by the purple steam pouring out of Goyle's cauldron.

"I take it Dumbledore was the one who hired you?" She received a nod. "And you originally applied for the Defence against the Dark Arts position?"

"Yes," Snape growled.

"But you were unsuccessful?" she continued, not looking up from her clipboard and missing the red that was beginning to creep up from underneath Snape's collar. The students stood in wait, knowing that this was a sore spot for the Professor.

"Obviously."

Umbridge flipped her page for a moment, consulted a note, and then flipped back again. "You've continually applied to the position since then?"

"Yes."

"Do you have any idea _why _Dumbledore would consistently refuse to appoint you?" She asked, finally looking up but seemingly unbothered by the barely hidden contempt on Snape's face.

"I'm afraid you'll have to ask _him_," he said shortly.

"Oh, I will," she smiled sweetly, jotting down more notes. After a few more questions she began to wander around the room asking students various questions concerning the class and how they felt they were progressing. Once she was through with the Slytherins' side she made her way over to the Gryfindors, stopping to ask Dean a few questions about the class as she continued to take notes.

"I'm so sorry," Neville said again as Toshiro wrapped his finger in the sleeve of his robe to stop the blood from dripping onto the stone floor.

"It's fine, really," the taicho assured, barely noticing the slight twanging pain as his eyes followed Umbridge travelling around the room. Snape seemed to be doing the same from behind his desk, his face now contemplative rather than angry. Dark brown eyes met teal for a moment and an understanding passed between them: Umbridge had to go.

"It only stings a little," he continued. "But from now on, I think _I'll _handle the knife."

"Yeah," Neville laughed. "It's probably for the best I suppose."

"Well, if I want to keep all my finger, yes," he smiled, examining the cut and then wrapping it up again. It was deep, but it was clean and would heal easily.

"And how are you faring Mr. Hitsugaya? You seem to be having fun."

Toshiro looked over to find Umbridge far too close to his person to be comfortable and took a large step back, almost bumping into Neville in the process.

"I'm doing fine Professor," he answered, casually shrugging and wiping off his finger as he did.

"And how are you finding the lessons? A bit below you're level hm? You seem to be such a smart boy," she said, her voice making his stomach churn. He'd seen men gutted before his very eyes, but there was _something_ about her voice that made him feel ill.

"Professor Snape's lessons challenge even me Professor," he answered finally after swallowing down the sickness he felt.

Umbridge laughed as she flipped to a new page and quickly scribbled something down. The frog like woman than glanced at his potion before consulting the board.

"Perfect. As I expected," she nodded, reaching out to pat him on the head as if he were a small child being rewarded.

A pale hand slapped away her boney one and a hush fell over the class as Umbridge's face darkened, her pupils dilating with anger. Hitsugaya held his ground, staring up into her eyes and finding nothing but hate looking back at him.

"I would ask you not to touch me," he said cooly, sending a shiver down several people's spines. As he watched her he realized that he'd fallen for her trap- taken the bait. She was trying to rile him up just as she attempted to do with Potter whenever the occasion arose.

"Violence against a teacher," she tut, tapping her quill against her clip board.

"Inappropriate contact with a student," he sneered back in a very Snape like manner, not bothering to mask the disgust in his voice.

"I believe that a detention is in order," Umbridge grinned as she pulled a scrap of paper from her robes and began to write a note to McGonagall.

"Such a shame," she muttered, knowing that entire class could hear. "You were the perfect student before you fell in with this little crowd," she smiled, eyeing Potter who was stationed at the table in front of his. "Perfect...well, except for that little deformity of yours." She passed him the horrid pink slip. "It's a tragedy nothing can be done for it."

"Yes well," he said as he took the paper, feeling a flicker of rage burning within his chest. "I'm sure you can empathise, what with your face the way it is."

Looking back, he wouldn't know what inspired him to say it, but at that moment, the look on Umbridge's face made it all worth wile. In the end, he decided he'd blame Potter for being a terrible influence. Someone at the back of the room snorted loudly and before Umbridge could respond the entire class broke out into raucous laughter. Running her through with Hyorinmaru would have been nice, but for now, this would have to do. The toad look alike snarled, her claw like fingers reaching out to grab him but Toshiro simply stepped aside, crumpling the paper and shoving it into his pocket as he did.

"I'll see that this gets to Professor McGonagall now," he smiled before striding from the room, the hallways suddenly seeming brighter.

* * *

While word was spreading of his 'heroic deed' Toshiro was sitting in front of a _very _irate looking Deputy-Headmistress.

"I expected this from _Potter_ and those two redheaded devil children, but not from you!" She yelled, her fist colliding with the top of her desk. "Dumbledore will not be pleased. Oh, who am I kidding," she sighed, suddenly slumping down into her chair. "He'll be amused if anything."

The taicho wasn't sure how he should respond and so remained silent. It seemed to be the safest of options and truthfully, he was still a little shocked at his own actions.

"She's going to try and make your life miserable, you know that, right?" McGonagall asked as she popped a candy into her mouth. His life was going rather miserably as it was without Umbridge's help.

"I know that she's...displeased," he said quietly.

"Displeased is putting it mildly. She might very well demand your expulsion...and right now, I'm not entirely sure we have the power to deny her," the woman explained, looking older than he'd ever seen her. With Umbridge on the prowl and the Ministry waiting in the wings for any type of screw up it was clear that the stress was beginning to get to the Deputy-Headmistress and for a moment Toshiro felt rather guilty for bothering her.

"If I am expelled, then I'll return to the Order and continue on from there until I've completed my mission. It will complicate matters, but that won't stop be from fulfilling my orders."

Being expelled might be good thing, he thought as he leaned back in his chair tiredly. If it hadn't been for Neville he might have left already anyway. The taicho sighed, running a hand through his hair; he needed to find Matsumoto. He'd been ignoring her for a few days now and it was due time he caught up with her. Maybe she was feeling just as ill as he was.

"Be careful," McGonagall cautioned. "And for goodness sake, get some sleep. You look terrible."

The Shinigami took that as a dismissal and began making his way back to the Tower, having decided to skip Divination. He probably wasn't missing anything valuable although, he felt bad about leaving Neville without a partner.

The halls were empty as he walked through them- most students either in class or in the library. When he climbed through the portrait hole he was surprised to find Matsumoto waiting for him, a knowing smile on her face.

"I heard about what happened," she said simply from her place on the couch. "Come sit down taicho, you look awful."

"I've been hearing that a lot lately," he smirked as he took a seat beside her. She had a knack for showing up when he needed her. "How have things been going?"

"Good," she said, gently running a hand through his hair- trying to flatten it in vain. "I've been hearing some _not_ so good things though. Apparently Umbridge is gaining power. Before long, she'll unseat Dumbledore."

Toshiro nodded, having guessed a while ago that Dumbledore would be forced to step down. "How long?"

"A few months at the most," his subordinate shrugged. "It's going to take a while to win over enough support. She's not exactly...well liked by many people."

"That's not surprising," he chuckled, getting comfortable as he leaned into her slightly, suddenly finding himself overwhelmingly tired.

Matsumoto looked over at him worriedly. "Are you alright taicho? You haven't been looking well."

"I'm not sure," he sighed. "How have you been feeling?"

"Not great," she conceded. "But nowhere as bad as you taicho...maybe you should go home."

"Not yet," he muttered, his eyes feeling heavy. "I can't leave yet."

"But taicho," she protested quietly, not wanting to disturb him. "If this continues..."

"I'll be fine," he assured her but in reality he wasn't entirely sure that he _would _be alright.

"Unohana would have a fit if she could see you now," Rangiku said tersely.

"Lucky she can't than hm?"

Matsumoto laughed as she pulled him a little closer so that he could get more comfortable.

"You need to take better care of yourself," she lectured as she loosened his tie for him. "At least until we figure out what's causing this. If I'm feeling sick, I can't imagine what it's like after all these months."

"It was gradual," Toshiro muttered.

"Doesn't that mean you might get worse?" she asked. It pained her to imagine her taicho worse than he was now, when he was normally so lively, if grumpy.

"I could," was the blunt reply she received. There really wasn't anything she could say to that so instead they both fell silent, Toshiro dozing and Matsumoto thinking, the only sound the ticking of the wall clock. Matsumoto glanced down at her taicho noticing how he was practically asleep already. To see him so worn and tired made her heart ache because despite their age difference...he was her best friend.

"If you get worse, come and find me, okay? It doesn't matter if I'm supposed to be in class. I'll always have your back, right taicho?"

"You always have."

And she always would.

* * *

"Where do you think he disappeared to?" Ron asked, as they made their way down the bustling hallway after classes had let out.

"Maybe he's having his detention right now?" Hermione suggested as she hefted her book bag over her shoulder.

"I doubt Umbridge would give it to him now. She's probably off scaring first years or something," The Boy Who Lived muttered.

"Hey, Harry!" The group turned to find Angelina running down the hall, sending people flying out of her way. She looked upset as she finally caught up to them and Harry had a vague idea why.

"Have you heard? That big slug is ruining _everything!_ No Quidditch!"

Ron looked aghast. "Why the bloody hell not?"

"The decree," Hermione huffed, glancing at her friend. "A sports team is a group..."

"Exactly," the dark skinned girl growled, stomping her foot. "Slytherin's already got permission to continue, and I hear Ravenclaw's captain is heading over after lunch and I'm betting he won't have a problem. It's _us _that's going to have issues."

For _one_ reason or another Umbridge seemed to have it out for Gryffindor. She'd never exactly been their biggest fan but for the past week she'd been cracking down on them and begun to favour the Slytherins- who weren't all together pleased with this. She was a pink monstrosity compared to their dark forest green and cool silver. Many believed that if she kept this up that she'd ruin their 'rep'. And in their minds, reputation was everything. Well, that and good hair.

"Stupid toad's got a grudge against us all," Ron snarled, Angelina nodding in agreement.

"Which is why we've all got to be on our best behaviour," she stated. "Harry, I know she drives you nuts and I know you've got temper issues."

Harry looked rather offended by that but found that he couldn't deny that it was true.

"But _please _for the love of God, don't cross her. Spread the word," she added as she went to take off again. "This is about the entire house behaving. She hates us enough already."

"W-wait," Ron called out to her. Angelina stopped, her hair sliding over her shoulder as she turned to look at him.

"I was um...wondering about tryouts?"

The team captain looked at him for a moment, seeming to size him up. Whatever she found in those few moments made a smile break out across her face.

"As soon as I get permission, I'll post a date. You'll be brilliant."

The youngest Weasley son blushed at the compliment, his ears burning a brilliant red the rivalled his hair.

"Bad time for Toshiro to decide to freak out," Harry muttered as they watched her run off, stopping Gryfindors at random and pleading with them for a few moments before dashing off again.

"Bad time for us to start an illegal club," Ron added, earning himself a withering glare for Hermione.

"This means that we're going to have to be even _more _careful," the witch said quietly. "She's been watching the entire house all week, and after this morning with potions...it's clear she's going to be watching _Harry _very closely," she stressed. "She knows what we're up to Harry, and she knows you're leading it."

"But she's got no proof," Ron argued as they began making their way towards the Tower.

"That's why she hasn't done anything about it yet," Hermione reasoned. "If she had any actual proof other than speculation and rumours, then she'd have dragged us into her office already. You saw what she did to Toshiro this morning, she's probably going to try and corner people she suspects to be members and interrogate them."

"Toshiro wouldn't say anything," Harry piped up defensively. "He'll keep quiet."

"I _know _he will," Hermione continued. "But we can't count on everyone being like him. He's not exactly normal."

Other members of the club were weaker, not as determined as Hitsugaya. Some would be easier to break than others, and once Umbridge figured out who to go for, she wouldn't have too hard a time figuring out what was going on.

"But your charm," the redhead started. "We've still got that."

"Yes, we've got the charm as a failsafe, but she's a grown woman with an entire department at her beck and call. How long could it possibly take to break it?"

Well, when she put it that way...

"We're screwed," Harry said in a sad little voice. Ron nodded in agreement, patting his friend on the back consolingly. Hermione gave them an exasperated look before she walked away, not bothering to see if they followed or not.

* * *

As it would turn out, they found Toshiro slumped on the couch asleep surrounded by people debating on whether or not they should wake him. Apparently, they'd decided to reward the new 'hero' with a celebration that consisted of a bowl of ice cream that someone- the twins- had snuck from the kitchens.

"I think we should leave him," Fred was saying quietly, sounding worried but also eyeing the bowl of vanilla with a hungry look. "It wouldn't be proper to wake him."

"He does look _mighty_ tired," George agreed, pulling an extra spoon from his pocket. Seamus was snickering behind his hand clearly trying to keep quiet.

"Maybe the best reward would be letting him nap," Jordan commented from his place perched on the arm of a nearby chair.

"That's a lame reward," Dean argued from beside Seamus who seemed to be losing the battle against his giggles. George slowly reached out and took a spoonful.

"I 'ay we 'eave him," he said thickly through a mouthful of ice cream. "Let 'im sleep. 'Deserves it."

Fred nodded in agreement, spoon of vanilla already held to his lips. "I think you're right mate. And we can't let this go to waste. Shame," he said sadly before shoving the spoon into his mouth.

It was just as the twins were polishing off the bowl that Angelina practically jumped through the portrait hole and began prancing about the room.

"She agreed!" she shouted, ecstatic.

Toshiro woke with a start, scaring the wits out of the twins who were sitting on the couch with him.

"What's going on?" the white haired boy asked groggily.

"S'nothing going on," Fred attempted to say around his spoon.

Angelina did a bit of a jig as she answered. "Umbridge is letting Gryffindor's Quidditch team run!"

"That's great," Jordon beamed.

"Tryouts are tomorrow night! Everyone who's interested should come down to the pitch after dinner," she announced as she flopped down into a chair. Harry elbowed Ron, who'd paled suddenly at the news, in the ribs.

"Come on, you're brilliant."

The atmosphere in the room was warm as people began to come back from classes. Toshiro was still sitting on the couch with the twins who'd apparently decided to offer him one of their newest inventions as a reward—the ice cream had long since disappeared into their stomachs. The smaller student was eyeing the small pill in his palm as if it were timed to explode at any moment and pretty soon Neville was sitting on the floor by his feet, weighing the odds of what would happen if he actually ate it.

* * *

"How about the Shrieking Shack?" Ron suggested, as they discussed possible locations for their club in the corner by the window.

"Too small," Hermione replied. "We need somewhere that's big enough."

"Maybe one of the secret passages," Harry said. "It'd be easy to find one with the map."

"Again, too cramped."

"Well," Ron huffed, shifting in his seat. "I'm out of ideas."

"Me too," Harry grumbled.

"We've _got _to figure this out," Hermione hissed tiredly. "We can't do this if we haven't got a location."

"How about we—

Harry suddenly doubled over in his chair clutching at his forehead.

"Harry?" Hermione called worriedly as he bit his lip in pain. "What's the matter?"

"He- he's angry," he ground out. "Something…isn't happening fast enough."

"You mean….Voldemort?" Ron whispered looking around nervously.

"No Ron, I mean the bloody Prime Minister!" Harry snapped as he sat up again.

"Don't start," Hermione said, intervening before Ron could retaliate. Once both of them had sufficiently calmed down she spoke. "You need to tell Dumbledore about this, Harry."

"If you hadn't noticed, he's not exactly jumping at the chance to see me lately."

"Then make the first move," she growled back. "Whatever your issues are with him right now, you don't need to take them out on us, now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll head up to bed," she said as she stood. Ron hesitated for a moment, looking as if he had something more to say before he too took off up the stairs.

Harry breathed slowly, trying to get out some of his frustration. The common room was basically empty now except for Toshiro who seemed to have once again dozed off on the couch. The fire was beginning to peter out in the hearth as the clock struck eleven and he stood with the intention of waking his classmate so that he too could head up to bed. The teen stood, his knees cracking as he did and made his way over to Toshiro who was looking pained in his sleep only to stop when a loud crack echoed through the room.

"Harry Potter, sir," Dobby smiled as he stood in all his ragged glory.

If the house elf suddenly appearing hadn't been a surprise, the foot that suddenly connected with the small creature's head certainly was.

Harry stumbled back a step and toppled over as Dobby went flying into a nearby chair, nearly tipping it over.

"Get back Potter," a now _very_ away Hitsugaya snapped as he advanced on the tiny house elf, pulling a knife from within his robes.

Harry gaped as the small boy grabbed Dobby by the neck and avoided the kicking legs that were trying to connect with his chest.

"What the hell _is _it?" The dead boy asked as he examined the creature he was holding.

"Harry Potter, sir," Dobby gasped as the pale hand squeezed his throat. "

Toshiro!" Harry finally yelled, jumping up to help the elf. "Put him down!"

"Down?"

"Yes, _down_!"

The other seemed to consider it for a moment before he glanced back at Dobby, ignoring the tiny nails that were ripping into the skin of his hand, sending blooding rolling down onto his arm. Hitsugaya's eyes glowed brightly in the half light as he turned to look at him.

"He's my friend," Harry pleaded, ignoring the rush of cold air that filled the room. For a moment the smaller teen didn't move before he turned to stare once again at the house elf. Dobby was turning a spectacular shade of blue and Harry wasn't sure if it was from the lack of air, of the freezing touch of Toshiro's hand.

"What is he?" Toshiro asked suddenly as he dropped Dobby back onto the chair.

"He's a house elf. Remember? Sirius has one?" Harry asked weakly.

"I never did get to see it," he muttered, glancing back down once again to examine his newest discovery.

Harry rushed over now that the danger had passed, examining Dobby's neck as the poor thing gasped, trying to catch his breath.

"Dobby is sorry," he wheezed. "For frightening Harry Potter's friend."

Harry hissed as he saw what looked to be frost stuck to Dobby's skin and he looked back over to Toshiro who was stashing his knife back in his robes.

"Why the bloody hell do you have that anyway?"

"Well, I couldn't bring Hyorinmaru with me around the school. He's far too large to remain hidden," the other said simply, as if stating the obvious. "My job is to protect you," he added as he took a seat on the couch again.

"So you roundhouse him in the face?" Harry growled, incredulous. "If you'd just waited a moment I would have—

"If he'd been an enemy and I waited a moment, you would have been dead," Hitsugaya shrugged, leaning back into the couch as if he'd never moved in the first place.

"Well from now on let's keep the violence to a minimum," Harry muttered as Dobby's breathing calmed and the room began to warm again. The glasses wearing teen sighed as he flopped down onto the floor. "Why are you here Dobby?"

The small house elf looked down at him from where he was perched on the chair. "Cleaning sir," he muttered, twisting the hem of his shirt.

"Oh."

Dobby clambered down from the chair and began travelling about the room disposing of the left over trash and straightening out the odd ends. After a few more minutes Hitsugaya stood, his eyes were still following Dobby but he seemed more relaxed.

"I'll leave you two to catch up," he said quietly before disappearing up the stairs to the dormitory.

Harry let the tension slide from his shoulders. Dobby still seemed shaken from his ordeal, and frankly, he didn't blame him. Toshiro could be…well, scary as hell to say the least. The knife hadn't helped matters either. Where on earth Toshiro had hidden was beyond him. Maybe he'd sewn a little pocket in his sleeve to hold it... The twins would need to be told not to startle the boy from now on. After all, it was all fun and games until someone got stabbed. Maybe he'd talk to Toshiro tomorrow about taking a bit of a break from the whole 'protect Harry' thing. The guy was clearly tired if he was falling asleep everywhere. A break would do him some good. The knife might need to go until he was a little less on edge as well.

Harry continued to sit on the floor thinking for a few minutes before an idea struck him from nowhere.

"Hey…Dobby?"

"Yes, sir?" the house elf called back, looking eager as always. Harry smiled at him, beckoning him over. If Dobby didn't have any ideas, he didn't know who else he could possibly turn to.

"I need your help; I'm in a bit of a pinch. You see, I'm starting this club…"

* * *

Dear Readers,

The next chapter is going to be out rather late because I'm out of the country for a couple of weeks and when I get back I'm going to be playing Catch Up with all my school work, clubs, and lessons. I'm off to Paris today and then to Italy! I hope you all have a great March Break, and who knows? Maybe we'll see each other when we're sitting at a café on the Seine. Although, you won't know it's me, and I won't know it's you. But, fate will sure as hell be laughing. Again, have a fun vacation. See you soon and thanks for reading. Coming home to reviews would be nice,

ForeverFalling.


	16. Coming Together

A/N: Hey everyone! How have you been? Good I hope! Thanks to all those who reviewed, it really makes my day to read them all.

**Over 800 Reviews! **

**Thank you all so much for your support. **

**Alright, so this story has been going on for the better part of three years and as this instalment of it continues, you're going to need to remember some things, some of which span back to The Dead of Winter. Thus, I've decided to give you all a refresher. Because hell, **_**I **_**sometimes forget, so I can't expect you all to remember. **

1. Upon his arrival in the Wizarding World, Toshiro experienced an odd buzzing sensation in his head that he attributed to the magic in the air.

2. Toshiro knows about the prophecy.

3. Ever since arriving in London Toshiro's health has slowly been declining. It began with feeling unwell and escalated to having odd dreams and nightmares which is leading to insomnia. The ill feeling comes and goes, but the fatigue is beginning to take its toll. After spending a night in the Hospital Wing he improved only to become unwell again shortly after his return.

4. Umbridge has been writing letters and trying to gather information on Toshiro.

5. Toshiro has come up with a plan that only he, Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape are aware of at this point. The details of the plan have yet to be revealed to the reader, and won't be for a while.

**A lot of this is applicable to this chapter in particular. So, I figured a refresher would be nice. **

* * *

_Harry smiled at him, beckoning him over. If Dobby didn't have any ideas, he didn't know who else he could possibly turn to._

_"I need your help; I'm in a bit of a pinch. You see, I'm starting this club…"_

* * *

"So, none of you have ever heard of this room before?" Toshiro asked, sceptical as he impatiently tapped his finger against the table. They'd returned from dinner to kill some time before the Quidditch tryouts that would begin in two hours. It wasn't exactly the ideal day to be in the sky; cement coloured clouds hung low and droplets of rain splattered the earth sporadically.

"Hogwarts is _big_," Ron said, moving his pawn and waiting for Harry's response. "I still get lost and I'm a _fifth_ year."

"A fifth year with no sense of direction," the taicho sighed tiredly, rubbing at his eyes.

It had been one of those days again where he wished he'd never gotten up. They were beginning to increase in number as they steadily made their way towards October. The only consolation was that autumn was finally beginning to rear its head and soon enough winter would make its presence known at Hogwarts.

"This room, if it does in fact exist, is obviously just about the only option we have at the moment. Otherwise, we still don't have a location to hold the meetings."

"We could just go after tryouts," Hermione suggested, not looking up from the knitting in her hands. "No one really travels along that floor much anyway. If all goes well, we could call a meeting for tomorrow."

Ron paled slightly at the mention of tryouts, his nerves showing through. According to his brothers he wasn't a half bad Keeper and if anyone were to ask Harry he would say his best friend was brilliant. Toshiro had some doubts but he'd never voice them. Ron needed to step out of his shell for once and make a place for himself. Harry thumped the redhead on the back and broke out into yet another pep talk.

"Notifying everyone could be difficult," the taicho muttered, his voice ragged.

Hermione smiled knowingly. "I've had the same thought and I believe I've worked out the perfect solution."

Toshiro quirked a white eyebrow.

"You'll just have to wait and see," the witch smirked as she answered his unvoiced question. The taicho shrugged, not bothered to wait in order to see what the cunning girl was up to.

"I think I'll go for a walk," he said standing.

Ron glanced up from his chess game, "S'raining mate. Not exactly walking weather."

"I assure you I won't melt," Hitsugaya responded jokingly. "I'll just go meet Neville in the greenhouses; see how his project is coming along."

The three teens nodded and watched him disappear through the portrait hole.

"Bloody hell, he looks dreadful," Ron said flatly.

"Ron," Hermione hissed.

"What? You know it's true. Looks just about ready to keel over."

"He's got a point 'Mione," Harry agreed as he moved his knight. "He's still not getting much sleep."

"Neither are you," Hermione pointed out. He couldn't argue with her there. The only reason he knew that Toshiro spent most of his nights sitting up in bed was because he wasn't exactly sleeping well himself. Still, between his odd dreams of unending hallways and blank doors he was still getting some rest. Toshiro on the other hand was beginning to run himself ragged.

"Maybe he should get something from Madame Pomfrey," Ron suggested. "To help him sleep."

"He's never been one for potions," Hermione sighed, having already brought up the idea to Toshiro several days ago and received a rather firm no.

"Well, maybe Neville should say something," Ron said. "He's his best friend. He might not listen to us, but..."

"Maybe," Hermione conceded. "He can't go on like this."

"But he'll damn well try," Harry said, smiling grimly with the feeling that things were only going to get worse. For all of them.

* * *

Toshiro returned in time for all of them to walk down to the pitch with Neville in tow, both of them covered in dirt, scratches, and what appeared to be large amounts of sap.

"His project wasn't going so well," the dead boy said by way of explanation as he pulled a leaf from his friend's hair.

"I've still got some work to do," Neville said a bit sullenly but the smile on his face made it clear that he wasn't all that upset. The smaller teen laughed quietly, trying to pull a hunk of sap from his own hair.

"Yes well, next time warn me before I go into any greenhouse. I've seen warzones that were cleaner than that."

Neville nodded as he pulled out his wand and began cleaning up their robes. "I didn't _know _it would explode like that."

Ron seemed break out from his nervous silence to snort loudly. Hermione pulled out her own wand and began trying to clean the sap from Toshiro's hair that was clumped up and messier looking than usual.

"How did you manage to explode your Herbology project?"

"You...don't want to know," Neville muttered with his eyes focused on the floor.

"You really _don't_," Toshiro agreed, clearly fighting the smile that was struggling to spread across his abnormally pale face.

"Are you guys coming to watch the tryouts?" Ron asked, eyeing the two still rather sticky boys.

"Of course," the white haired Shinigami said.

As it would turn out, quite a few people seemed to be interested in joining the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Teenagers lined the side of the field, some holding their own brooms and others grasping onto the slightly battered school ones. Angelina began running them through their paces seeing their basic skills before breaking them up into the positions they were trying out for. Ron was standing at the end of the line looking shaky and clutching his broom like it was the only thing keeping him up. Harry was standing at the centre of the field; his own position secured seeing as no one felt the desire to challenge him for it.

"Your friend's looking mighty nervous," Angelina chuckled, the wind whipping at her dark hair.

"He'll be fine...I hope," Harry replied, praying that Ron managed to at least stay standing until he was called for his turn. By the looks of his knocking knees, the odds weren't that great.

"He's got performance anxiety."

"Not something a player can have on game day," Angelina pointed out crisply as she strode towards the line.

"No, I guess it's not."

From up in the stands Hermione was watching the entire thing nervously with Toshiro and Neville on either side of her.

"I hope he makes it," she whispered, her voice almost carried away by the strong winds.

"He'll either make it or he won't. But at least he tried," Toshiro said idly as he leaned back in his seat to stare up at the grey sky.

"And there's always next year," Neville piped up.

"Oh Neville, I have a feeling that it's this year or nothing. I don't think he could stand trying again if he doesn't make it this time around," Hermione sighed sadly.

"He'll make it," a voice popped up from behind them. Toshiro looked over to find Luna climbing over the bleachers to take a seat beside him.

"I had a feeling he would," the Shinigami said as Luna slid in close beside him. Hermione gave them a look that doubted their sanity and for a moment, he felt a sting of anger at her for not having faith in his friend.

"If Luna says that Ron will make it, you'd be wrong to doubt her."

The brunette seemed to get the message because she looked back to the pitch, her hands winding into the hem of her robes nervously. Toshiro glanced over a Luna who was twisting a blonde lock around her finger as she watched the tryouts. He hadn't seen much of her in the past week because she'd been spending most of her spare time outside doing Lord knew what at the edges of the forest, or in the library working on a large essay she had due for Potions. She seemed to notice his stare and met his eyes with her own sparkling blue. The warmth in them reminded him of just how cold and tired he was.

"You're still feeling sick." It wasn't a question, but a statement.

"Yes," he replied resignedly. His theory that it was a negative reaction to the magic still remained in his head. Maybe it was over exposure or something like that. But really, why hadn't he felt this way last year? The Shinigami frowned, his shoulders sagging as he resisted the urge to yawn. Then again, as he thought back...he _had _felt odd when he'd first entered into the Wizarding World. There'd been an odd buzzing sensation in the back of his mind- an irritation really, nothing more, but he hadn't felt it at all this year, instead, he was ill. Could it all be related? He mulled this over until he felt a hand grab his head and force it down onto a soft shoulder.

"You may lean on me," Luna said quietly, ignoring the looks that Neville and Hermione were giving them. "I don't mind."

The Shinigami hesitated for a moment before he let himself relax and lean on her. There were still seven people before Ron would be called so they would be there for awhile yet anyway. He blew away a stray stand of blonde that was in his eyes and laid against her, reminded of the other afternoon when Matsumoto had let him lean on her.

"Thank you," he muttered, his voice slightly muffled by the sweater she was wearing.

It took another half hour before Ron was called to be evaluated. They could barely hear what was being said but soon enough Ron was flying off towards the rings at the other end of the pitch. Hermione was practically bouncing in her seat and soon enough she was standing and hanging out over the railing trying to get a better look. Toshiro was fighting against his fatigue, laying comfortably against Luna and soon enough Neville was leaning against him and between the three of them they must have looked _damn_ odd, but he was tired and now comfortably warm and—

"HE DID IT!"

Toshiro jumped at Hermione's shriek, unseating Neville who toppled over onto the floor. Hermione grabbed the clumsy teen by the hands and hauled him to his feet before dancing around with him for a moment causing Neville to almost topple over again.

"He _did it_," Hermione laughed, a giant smile spread across her face and not for the first time Toshiro wondered if Ron would ever clue in and finally ask her out.

"I mean, he let one in, you saw right?" No, actually he hadn't. "But he was obviously the best! He's going to be so happy!"

Toshiro nodded thinking that she was happy enough for the both of them. He looked down at the pitch and sure enough Harry was clapping Ron on the back, the redhead looking rather shocked about the whole thing.

"Mr. Hitsugaya," Professor McGonagall called as she appeared on the stairs, apparently having come to watch the tryouts from her House team as well. "The Headmaster was asking if you would meet with him upon your return to the castle."

"I'll see him now then," he answered back, already having a vague idea of what this was about. He hadn't heard much from Dumbledore recently since their chance meeting in the hallway. Still, he wondered if that had more to do with the Headmaster's desire to avoid Potter than anything else.

"I'll meet you all back at the castle," he said briskly as he turned to follow after McGonagall. "I expect to know if the Room will be appropriate."

The others nodded mutely as they watched him go. He caught up easily enough to McGonagall- or maybe she'd purposely slowed down. Her face seemed drawn and more lines spread out from her eyes like cracking plaster. He'd witnessed several yelling matches break out between her and Umbridge as of late and although she seemed to win often enough he couldn't help but think that she was growing tired of it all.

"This plan of yours in crazy," she growled as she adjusted the hat upon her head. "I've tried to talk the Headmaster out of it before he set things into motion, but he refuses to listen! This is absolutely absurd."

"Absurd, yes," he agreed. "But it's also our only viable option at the moment."

"How do you even know that you'll be able to manage it?" She asked accusingly as they trudged up the damp hill towards the castle doors. "You've promised us many things Mr. Hitsugaya and if you fail to provide them, it could be the death of us all. That might not mean much to you but—

"I assure you I know the risks. The threat of death is nothing new to either of us, I expected you to be calmer than this," he said smoothly.

The woman glared down at him but nodded none the less. Her shoes clacked against the stone stairs and the huge doors swung open to admit them. Admittedly, his plan was rather...rambunctious to say the least. Without proper planning and execution, it could mean the death of several people in the short term, never mind the later repercussions. He'd yet to tell Matsumoto of what he'd suggested to Dumbledore that night in his office. What they'd come up with had remained between only the four people who'd been in the room and would remain that way for some time to come.

The halls were empty for the large part; most students were in their common rooms or the library by this time of the evening. When they reached the stone gargoyles McGonagall spoke the password and they began ascending the stairs. They were barely through the door when Dumbledore looked up from his work and called for Toshiro to take a seat. He appeared to be hard at work writing a letter of some sort with an owl waiting in the window for him to finish up. The taicho took a seat, content to wait. McGonagall gave a small goodbye before slipping back out the door, only receiving a nod of acknowledgment from the Headmaster. Dumbledore finally put down his quill and waved the owl over as he sealed the envelope. The bird was flying through the window and out into the darkening sky in the blink of an eye. Soon it was only a speck against the gloomy clouds.

"I've been discussing things with Severus," the old man started suddenly. "He too, thinks your plan is rather genius. Mad of course, but still, genius," he said, a grim smile playing across his face as he set aside his inkwell and quill.

"Before Severus begins, are you sure that you wish to go through with this? As I warned you, they might never forgive you."

Forgiveness was a luxury he could go without if it meant that he could complete his mission _and _save his friends. He knew what he was doing was right, even if they would never feel the same.

"I'm willing to take that risk."

Dumbledore nodded sadly as he sighed, "I'll tell Severus to begin putting things into motion. I wish you luck. You'll need it."

* * *

When he returned to the common room everyone was waiting for him by the window in their usual spot. Ron still looked a little shocked, a dreamy looking smile on his face.

"We found it, and it's perfect," Hermione whispered as he took a seat. "We've already been spreading the word to members that there will be a meeting tomorrow."

"Did you ask Luna to tell the Ravenclaws?" he asked as he opened the window a crack. Hermione nodded.

"This is actually pretty exciting," Neville said. "I mean, we're actually standing up to the Ministry."

"It's also pretty stupid," Toshiro pointed out.

Harry frowned for a moment. "I think I've done dumber things."

"It's true," Ron agreed. "We're an act first, think later kind of group."

"Speak for yourself," Hermione growled playfully. "I just get dragged along to make sure you don't get yourselves killed."

"Doing a great job so far might I add," Harry said.

"So," Hitsugaya started. "How does this room work exactly?"

"Everything just appears as you think of it," Neville gushed. "It's bloody amazing. Anything you could possibly think."

"We'll have everything we need then."

"Exactly."

"What about security?"

"I would think it'd appear as we needed it," Hermione frowned, looking to Harry who simply shrugged.

"The door disappears once you're inside," the glasses wearing teen added. "But security wise, I think Hermione's on the right track."

The taicho nodded. "What time are we meeting at?"

"Eight o'clock tomorrow night," Hermione informed him.

And so it began.

* * *

By eight o'clock everyone had gathered in the Room of Requirement and Toshiro had to admit that the room was impressive. Any reference books they could possibly need were lining the shelves of several bookcases— no doubt an addition from Hermione, and there was a practice dummy and cushions that would surely be useful at some point. Windows lined the far walls, letting some of the natural moon light spill into the room and there was a large fireplace. With the nicely arched ceilings and rather simple looking chandelier the room was quite nice, yet practical and large enough to suit their needs. Toshiro glanced around the room as he rolled up the sleeves of his sweater, his rarely used wand stowed in his pocket.

"Should we all introduce ourselves? Because I can only name about six of you," he said. A couple people nodded apparently in the same boat as he was.

"Well, I'm Collin, and this is my brother Denis," one of the boys who was vaguely familiar spoke up. The two brothers seemed to be extremely excited about the club both looking ready to get started and happy to be there.

"I'm Katie," a girl that Toshiro already knew through Harry said, a small smile on her face. Soon everyone was introducing themselves and becoming familiar with one another. While before they had been grouped in their Houses, now they were mixed together; a blend of red, blue and yellow. After a few minutes Hermione cleared her throat bringing the little meet and greet to an end.

"I think we should pick a team leader."

"Harry's the leader," Cho Chang called back immediately.

"Yes, but, we should make it official," Hermione said. "So, who wants Harry to be leader?"

Everyone in the room raised their hand, even those who seemed a little unenthusiastic about the whole thing.

"Um- right, thanks," Harry nodded, a light blush bleeding across his face. "And uh- What Hermione?"

"We should come up with a team name," she said with her hand still in the air. "To promote team spirit and unity."

Everyone seemed agreeable with the idea and before long, people were shouting out random names, some quite good and others downright stupid but one rose up above the rest.

"The Defence Associate," Cho suggested. "We can be the DA for short so no one will know what we're talking about."

"DA is good, but make it Dumbledore's Army," Ginny Weasley said. "That's the Ministry's worst fear isn't it?"

Whispers and chuckles broke out at her words but Hermione soon called them to order. "All those in favour?"

Again, everyone raised their hands. "That's majority so motion passed!"

She pulled the parchment that they had all signed at their meeting in the Hogshead, pinned it to the wall, and wrote across the top: Dumbledore's Army.

"Alright," Harry said nervously. "Let's start practicing then. I think we should start with Expelliarmus, it's pretty basic but I've found it to be really useful—

"Oh, please," a boy who'd introduced himself as Smith interrupted. "I don't think that's going to help us in a fight against You Know Who."

"I used it on him," Harry said quietly. "It saved my life."

That seemed to shut up any of the doubters and soon enough Toshiro found himself paired off, staring down the end of Neville's wand.

"You've done this before, haven't you?" the taicho asked, slightly nervous.

"Well," his friend hesitated. "Not _really._"

Oh Lord, save him.

Wands were flying everywhere and shouts of Expelliarmus were filling the air but everyone stopped when instead of wands soaring past them, Toshiro was.

"Oh bugger," Neville cursed as his friend was sent crashing into the back wall. The Shinigami groaned as he pulled himself up, his ears ringing.

"I think you need some more practice Neville," he muttered, holding a hand to his head.

"Can we get some of those cushions over here?" Harry called, hoping to at least provide some padding.

"I don't think all the cushions in the world could help me Potter," the taicho growled quietly as he walked past his new 'team leader'.

"Let's try this again," he said in a lighter tone, not wanting to discourage his friend. Neville nodded and they both took their positions and this time, Toshiro made sure to brace himself. But damn, all the bracing in the world couldn't make getting slammed into the wall _not _hurt. Hermione eventually came up with the solution of padding the walls themselves and sure enough, protective mats appeared on the stone, giving Toshiro something a bit softer to careen into.

"Stop! STOP!" Harry shouted over the din and his voice was soon followed by a shrill whistle, bringing to room to a standstill. "So that...wasn't awful, but there's definite room for improvement," he said delicately, earning himself a glare from Smith.

"Toshiro, are you alright?"

"I thin' I bi' ma' 'ongue," was the reply he got in return.

The Boy Who Lived sighed as he ran a hand over his face. "Let's try again."

He began travelling around the room, correcting people and giving advice as he went. With a few tiny adjustments most people were doing just fine- good even. He avoided Cho for as long as he could but eventually he made his way over. Cho smiled nervously as he approached, managing to mispronounce the incantation and set her partner's sleeve on fire. Her friend glared at him as if it was his fault.

"You made me nervous, but I was doing it right before," Cho said defensively.

"I know," he smiled. "I saw from over there, you're doing great."

The girl returned his smile before she turned back and resumed her practice. Harry's stomach gave a flutter but he forced himself to keep moving and see to everyone. When he finally came upon Neville he was looking embarrassed and Toshiro was looking ruffled, bruised and all around worse for wear.

"Well, Neville, let's see what you can do," he said, sending an apologetic look in his smaller friend's direction. The dead boy dutifully took up his position and prepared himself for what was to come. Soon enough he was sent cascading into the wall once again, and Harry could hear the air being knocked from his lungs as his back connected with the pads.

"Ok," he said, nodding at what he'd seen. "You're pushing too hard Neville."

The other teen gave his wand a considering look.

"You're putting too much power into it which means the spell is hitting the person, not just the wand. On one hand, the wand is knocked out of their hand, and the person is knocked off their feet, which could be useful," He said encouragingly, clapping him on the shoulder. "But if you perfect your control, it'll help you with a lot of your spells as well. I think that...you're underestimating yourself, so you think you need to push," Harry said thoughtfully as he wandered forward to give Toshiro a hand up.

"But you don't. You're plenty powerful Neville; you don't need to force it like you are. Just relax alright? Try again."

This time Harry could see the difference even before Neville said the spell, and he wasn't surprised in the least when –much to Toshiro's relief- only a wand, and not a person, was sent flying. A bright smile spread across Neville's face as he rushed forward to give Toshiro a high five. The smaller teen looked just as happy as his friend and Harry couldn't help but grin at that.

"I _knew _you could do it Neville," Hitsugaya laughed, wiping a smudge of dirt from his face on his sleeve.

"Thanks Toshiro. And you too Harry," Neville beamed. "I couldn't have done it without you."

"I think you could have Neville," the green eyed teen laughed. "You've got to have some confidence."

The other Gryffindor nodded happily and Toshiro raised his hand again, giving him another celebratory high five. Luna soon wandered over to congratulate Neville as well and as Harry watched the three friends began chatting and headed off towards the centre of the room where most of the members were beginning to gather.

Everything was coming together.

* * *

Dear Readers,

I'm back from France and Italy, and now... I'm leaving for Chicago. So again, the next chapter is going to be late. Everything is a bit crazy right now with school and getting ready for graduation and finishing up all the residence applications for my university. Oh, yes, I forgot to mention, after all my freaking out, I found my dream school and got early acceptance back in December! My mum is happy that I'm happy, and my dad is pleased because it's one of the top schools. I started this series in the beginning of grade 10, and now I'm about to graduate! How times flies. Thanks for reading and please don't forget to review,

ForeverFalling.


	17. The Waiting Game Part 2

**A/N: Hey everyone! So, as you may have noticed, this isn't really a chapter. Unfortunately, my family is taking off on vacation to Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Holland- and we leave in about two hours. I scrambled to get the next chapter out, but at this point I'm only 3000 words in, and not much has happened in it to make it worth posting yet. I'll be back in the beginning of August, but I thought that since it's been so long since I've posted anything (exams, my friends) that I'd let you know that I'm still working on the story. **

**But, I don't want to leave you with absolutely nothing so here's what used to be the beginning of the chapter. It's only the **_**very **_**beginning and after this it switches over to Toshiro, but I hope it's better than nothing. **

**I'm so sorry for the delay, but have a great summer and as soon as I'm back I'll finish up and post the chapter. **

**ForeverFalling.**

* * *

Umbridge grinned in anticipation as she clutched the letter tightly in her pudgy fingers. All of her inquiries were about to pay off; she could feel it. Ever since her first encounter with Toshiro Hitsugaya- an_ unnatural_ name fitting an _unnatural_ boy- she'd been contacting her colleagues within the Ministry, working her way through mountains of red tape in order to get his personal records.

The woman resisted the urge to cackle as she ripped open the envelope stamped with the official Ministry seal. She was surprised to find only a single piece of paper inside but pulled it out none the less. Beady eyes scanned it over slowly her face reddening as they did.

"WHAT?" She shrieked as she slammed the paper onto her desk.

How could he have no other records? It was impossible! Inconceivable! It was as if the damn child had fallen right out of the sky. The only records that the Ministry had were of his third year classes and some side note about animal rights activism or something of the sort. Dolores breathed deeply, trying to calm herself. There must be some sort of mistake. Unless...She stood quickly, her chair knocking back into the pink stone wall with a clatter. If the Ministry didn't have the proper records...there was still one more place she could look. She tore out into the hall, her shoes clacking against the floor as she resisted the urge to run. Students ducked into doorways as she passed and watched with curiosity as she hustled by them.

Madame Prince looked up from her work seeming rather surprised to find the High Inquisitor practically running towards the Forbidden Section dodging stacks of hovering books and students alike. The small gate to the Forbidden Section swung open for her, recognizing one of the school's teachers. This area of the library was practically deserted due to its rather exclusive nature. When she finally found the large tome she was looking for she yanked it from the shelf and tossed it down onto the nearest table.

McGonagall was in charge of keeping record of the birth of every magical child who would receive a Hogwarts' acceptance letter. Names were added and removed as was required due to migration and what not. If the Ministry had failed her, surely Minerva wouldn't. Umbridge began flipping through the book, finding the right year and working her way down to the H's.

"Hitsugaya," she muttered over to herself as her finger trailed down the page.

Her pink painted fingernail stopped when she reached the place between Himmel and Jackson. Frowning, she combed over the list of names for later years, hoping that he'd been lying about his age, but she still had no luck.

"It's...not here," she said disbelievingly as she fell into the nearest chair. How could a child possibly have been overlooked? It just...wasn't possible. There was no way such a mistake could be made unless... it _wasn't _a mistake.

"Someone is up to something," she tut as she tried to wrestle one of the curls that had fallen out of place in her mad dash to the library back into its proper position.

"And I'm going to find out what."


	18. Falling Apart

A/N: Hey everyone! How have you been? Good I hope! Thanks to all those who reviewed, it really makes my day to read them all.

Over 900 Reviews!

You all never cease to amaze me.

**Note: I posted on my profile awhile back that when this story reaches 1000 reviews I'll be posting the summary and title of the next instalment of this series (I guess I should probably call it the Winter Trilogy or something...) as a giant thank you to everyone for your amazing support! **

* * *

_Luna soon wandered over to congratulate Neville as well and as Harry watched the three friends began chatting and headed off towards the centre of the room where most of the members were beginning to gather. _

_Everything was coming together. _

* * *

Toshiro flipped the coin that Hermione had handed out to them at the end of the meeting, watching as it glinted in the half light. The entire system she'd come up with was ingenious, he thought tiredly, sliding the warm metal between his fingers. He was sitting in the common room alone, the night beginning to give way to day. Sleep had eluded him again, and the hours had been long and arduous as he waited for the sun to break out into the sky.

The coin slipped from trembling fingers that he couldn't seem to still. The fatigue was wearing on him, making his eyes burn and his legs weak. The night in the Hospital Wing had helped, but whatever good it had done had long passed. The wind whistling through the old windows sounded like the snakes that haunted him during the few hours of rest he managed. The world seemed bleak, and his mission hopeless.

So far, he couldn't deny that it had been a complete and total failure. Whatever was wrong with Potter that made him create the disturbance in their detection systems remained unclear to him. The ill feeling he'd had around the teen upon their reunion was gone— or maybe it wasn't. Maybe he was just feeling so horrible overall that the bad feeling from Potter was just a single wave in the ocean. Regardless, his mission was still a failure even with Matsumoto assisting him from the shadows. He knew Dumbledore was withholding something from him; he just needed to figure out _what. _He had a feeling that whatever the Headmaster wasn't telling him would prove to be integral to his investigation. But trying to convince Dumbledore to do something he didn't want to do was like trying to tell Zaraki to stop fighting: impossible.

The DA meeting the night before had given him a spark of hope for what was to come, but when the darkness of the dormitory had settled over his eyes and the snakes had begun to slide against his skin, that spark had died out. It was getting difficult to recall when he'd last slept well and even harder to distinguish one day from another. Everything was going to fall to pieces.

"Taicho," a voice hissed suddenly into the silence.

Toshiro had to restrain himself from physically jumping in his seat. He turned to find Matsumoto standing at the bottom of the stairs, her arms akimbo as she glared at him disapprovingly.

"What are you doing up?" she growled as she stalked over. She dipped down to grab the coin he'd dropped before throwing herself into the chair normally occupied by Neville. "You look terrible," she said frankly.

"Thanks, I try, but it's always nice to hear it," he grumbled as he reached out to snatch the coin from her grasp. His subordinate sighed unhappily, shifting in her seat until she was comfortable.

"How was the first meeting?"

"It was...interesting," he said, a hint of a smile playing across his unnaturally pale lips as he recalled the event. "It went well."

The woman turned girl nodded, her auburn locks slipping from her black clad shoulder. The room was lighter now and soon people would begin leaving for breakfast.

"Have you come up with a plan of action?" Matsumoto asked, sending a flicker of guilt through him. He still hadn't told her about the plan he and Dumbledore had worked out. Frankly, he had no intention of telling her before it was absolutely necessary. The plan was a good one- crazy, but good. But while it would benefit the wizards and the living world immensely, the taicho knew that it wasn't in the best interests of Soul Society. Toshiro knew that in the end it would be worth it, but the Sou-taicho might not see it that way if he didn't bide his time and play his cards right.

"Hey, Toshiro," Neville called as he came down the stairs. "You're up awfully early. Ready for breakfast?"

The other teen spared Matsumoto a quick smile as Toshiro climbed to his feet stiffly.

"I'll talk to you later," he muttered before following after his friend.

* * *

Breakfast was a quiet affair, mostly due to the fact that Ron had worried himself into a sort of stupor and Toshiro was practically nodding off into his tea. The first Quidditch match of the season would take place that day with Gryffindor facing off against Slytherin. Harry huffed, not sure whether to be annoyed, amused, or worried as Ron stared into his juice. Hermione was flipping through her copy of the Daily Prophet, scanning the pages for any Death Eater activity as she did every morning. Toshiro seemed to have really fallen asleep now with his cup still pressed to his lips. The Boy Who Lived reached out and took it, setting it down on the table before the dead boy could spill it on himself.

Neville had decided to sit with Luna once he figured out that Toshiro wouldn't be much company that morning. Harry almost envied his sleeping classmate, having tossed and turned most of the night dreaming of endless hallways and doors.

"Oh for Merlin's sake, Ron," Hermione sighed as she shoved aside the Prophet in a crumple. "You'll be _fine_."

She said it with such conviction that Harry was almost inclined to believe her. Almost. It wasn't that he doubted Ron's skill in anyway. It was more that he doubted his ability to not faint on their way down to the pitch. But regardless of his doubts he clapped Ron on the shoulder, almost causing the redhead to drop his spoon.

"You'll be fine Ron. Really. You were the best at the tryouts!"

Ron replied with something between a convulsion and a nod. Harry resisted the urge drown himself in his cereal.

Practice had been...interesting. Interesting, as in it ended with blood being spilled.

"I'm...I'm awful," Ron groaned sadly. "It was a fluke! I made it on a fluke. There's no way I can play!"

Toshiro jolted awake at the teen's shout. He rubbed at a teal coloured eye before tiredly retrieving his tea, apparently hoping that the caffeine would do him some good.

"Are you feeling alright?"

The dead boy looked up with a glare plastered onto his face. "I'm fine."

"You seem really-

"I'm _fine_."

Alright then. Harry sighed, pushing away his food. He glanced up at the head table, staring at Hagrid's empty seat. Care of Magical Creatures was going splendidly. No one had been burned, maimed or otherwise all year under the careful instruction of Grubbyplank, but Hagrid was what made all of the trips to the Hospital Wing worth it. Harry had meant to ask Dumbledore about his return, but it seemed as if the Headmaster was avoiding him at all costs. The teen glowered when he noticed that for the fifth time in a row Dumbledore was absent from breakfast. Apparently even being in the same room was too much, never mind eye contact or heaven forbid an actual conversation.

The one thing that Hermione's daily readings in the Prophet had told them for sure was the Albus Dumbledore wouldn't be Headmaster for much longer if he didn't do something fast. The Minister seemed to have started a smear campaign of sorts, and at the head was Rita Skeeter. A day couldn't go by without her making some smart remark about him- or better yet, Harry.

"Are you ready to head down?"

The teen turned to find Angelina standing behind him.

"Uh, yeah," he nodded as he stood.

"Is _he_?"

Harry looked to find Ron a stunning shade of grey the likes of which he hadn't seen since the slug incident.

"He'll be fine. Probably," he added under his breath as Hitsugaya hauled the redhead to his feet.

* * *

Toshiro bit back a yawn as he and Neville made their way down the lawns towards the pitch. The Shinigami idly wondered what sort of badges the Slytherins had pinned to their clothes but couldn't be bothered to get close enough to read one.

The tension was thick in the air as swarms of red and green clad students crossed the lawns. It looked like some kind of Christmas party gone awry. As everyone piled into the bleachers he couldn't help but notice the sound of something carrying on the wind. Neville too seemed to have noticed, a frown on his face as he tried to decipher what he was hearing.

"It's...singing?" The dead boy said, unsure if he was hearing right, but his friend nodded in agreement. They sat there, trying to hear what was being sung as the players took to the field, the song drowned out by the roaring of the crowd.

"I don't really like this song."

Neville practically jumped from his seat, not having noticed Luna sitting beside him. "Where the bloody hell did you come from?"

"Well, my ancestors—

"Can you tell what they're saying?" Toshiro asked; interrupting what was sure to be a very long and very dry story.

"The monarchy."

He gave her a flat sort of look. "The monarchy."

The blonde nodded before she turned back to the game, watching the players zip past on their brooms as they fought for the quaffle. Well, if he recalled, the English _did _like their Queen. The Shinigami began mentally going through national holidays, wondering if today was important. It took him a moment to realize he knew basically _nothing _about British national holidays and he turned to ask Neville.

"No," the other teen shrugged, looking confused. "I've no idea why they'd be singing about the monarchy of all things."

The three friends wound up ignoring the game, only looking up in response to the groans or cheers from the section around them.

"It's not about the Queen," Neville finally said. "They're singing about a King."

"You don't have a King," Toshiro said. "At least, not the last time I checked."

That admittedly, had been back in the academy when he'd been doing a research paper on the different governments of the living world.

Groans erupted form the other students sitting around them. They looked up to find that Ron had let another goal slip through despite his best efforts.

"_...cannot save a thing...a single ring._"

"I do believe they're singing about Ron," The Shinigami stated as he crossed his arms. One glance at the Slytherin section showed the entire bunch joining in with Draco Malfoy practically shouting himself hoarse from upon his broom. One of the girls who followed him around like a dog was conducting her fellow housemates as if she were their choirmaster.

"_Weasley is our King!_"

"I guess we know who came up with this," Neville grumbled, shooting a glare in Malfoy's direction.

There was another roar of happiness from the Slytherins as Ron let the quaffle through yet again. It was easy to see that the song was beginning to get to him, something the announcer, Lee Jordan, was all too happy to point out. It was clear that Harry had noticed his friend's distress and failing confidence in the way that he seemed to be desperately searching for the snitch. Hermione was sitting a few rows away from them looking frazzled and panicked as she watched Ron's struggle.

Toshiro could applaud the song as a tactical manoeuvre used to distract the enemy, but for a bunch of teenagers playing for a silly trophy, it was a little cruel. Even Fred and George seemed to be effected by the relentless chanting, flying in a blur of red and leaving havoc and injuries in their wake.

Another goal was let in but the Gryffindors seemed to have tired of groaning and instead most of them just sat back in their seats, not able to look away from the train wreck that was Ron Weasley's performance. Most of their eyes soon began to track Potter's -their last hope- movement through the sky. If he managed to catch the snitch soon they'd still be able to win...barely. Students watched with baited breath when Potter suddenly dove through the air with Malfoy on his tail.

"Come on, come on," Neville chanted as they watched Harry reach out for the tiny dot of gold before him. When his hand finally closed around the snitch the Gryffindors were torn between a sigh of relief and roaring in happiness. Neville whooped as the players began to descend to the grass.

"Let's beat the crowd," Toshiro suggested, grabbed Neville's elbow and signalling for Luna to follow him down the stairs to the ground. They were just getting to the bottom when shouts rang out. Toshiro jumped down the remaining four steps and took off running. The first time in months he might actually have to protect Potter and he wasn't even anywhere near him. With a Shunpo he was on the field just in time to see Harry practically pounce on Malfoy.

Well, Dumbledore _had _said to protect Harry and the probably included protecting him from his own idiocy.

Toshiro sprinted towards the two who lay brawling in the grass and wrapped an arm around Harry's neck and yanked him off the screaming Malfoy. Potter struggled but with an elbow to the gut he was on the ground at Toshiro's feet, rolling in the grass, the breath knocked out of him.

"You idiot!" the taicho growled as he hauled Harry up by the front of his robes. "Do you have any idea what you've—

"What do you think you're doing?" Madame Hooch shrieked, her face a ruddy red as Malfoy whimpered in the grass and Crabbe snickered in the background. "I have _never _seen behaviour like this before!"

George was still growling, only now around a bloody lip. The entire crowd had fallen silent, all waiting for the axe to fall.

"Back to the castle! The two of you, and head straight to your head of house's office!"

Harry dusted himself off, casting a glare in Malfoy's direction and began trudging up the lawns with George in tow. Hooch continued to rant under her breath about sportsmanship before she turned to Hitsugaya. "Thanks for the help."

He nodded curtly as she strode off, her black robes billowing behind her. Neville came to his side as the students began to make their way back to the castle now that the spectacle was over.

"Nice job."

"All in a day's work," Toshiro answered blandly.

"I wonder what'll happen to them."

"Nothing good."

As he spotted Umbridge scurrying up the hill toward the castle doors he knew Potter was really in for it.

* * *

Everyone was crowded into the main hall for lunch when a student came over and tapped him on the shoulder. "You're wanted in McGonagall's office."

Toshiro set down his fork as the girl headed down the table to where Fred and Angelina were sitting.

"What do you think she wants?" Hermione asked quietly watching as Toshiro stood. The taicho shrugged and waited for Fred and Angelina to catch up before the three of them began heading towards the office.

"It must be awful if she wants all of us," Angelina moaned, worrying the hem of her robes.

"We didn't even do anything wrong," Fred said easily. "Probably just wants to talk to us about what caused the fight. We were right there after all."

When they walked into the office they found Umbridge waiting for them with a smug look plastered across her horrible face. McGonagall was sitting behind her desk looking less than pleased with George and Harry sitting in front of her.

"Miss Johnson, I'm afraid that due to their actions today Mr. Potter and Weasley have been...banned from Quidditch life," she said, as if the words were sour in her mouth.

"Banned?" Angelina practically screamed. "But Professor without them—!

"I'm sure you'll manage dear," Umbridge smiled sweetly. "Now," she continued. "I called you two here," she looked directly at Fred and Toshiro. "To tell you that you will also be facing consequences for your actions today."

Toshiro was mystified. "Wha—

"A ban from Quidditch is also in order for you as well."

"I don't even play—

"Not _you _Mr. Hitsugaya. I was speaking to Mr. Weasley."

Fred looked scandalized. "I didn't even do anything!"

"Only because your teammates had the sense to hold you back," she drawled. "And Mr. Hitsugaya, you assaulted Mr. Potter which is simply inexcusable."

_Assaulted_?

"I was pulling him off of Malfoy!"

"And felt the need to elbow him in the stomach?" She asked with a quirk of her brows. "Hogwarts has a zero tolerance policy for violence and therefore you will be joining the others in detention."

The Shinigami turned to McGonagall. "Are you seriously going to let her punish me for stopping Potter from beating the living hell out of Malfoy?" He asked, his temper rising and the temperature dropping.

"I'm sorry Mr. Hitsugaya," she apologized. "I'm sad to say that I don't have much of a say in the matter."

"One week's detention for all of you," Umbridge tittered "Sounds fitting doesn't it?"

Toshiro took a calming breath but couldn't stop himself from sneering, "If you say so."

"Temper Mr. Hitsugaya," the toad croaked. "I believe we've talked about this before. Maybe we should look into an anger management class hm? Actually, all of you might benefit from it," she said thoughtfully.

Before she could continue McGonagall dismissed them.

* * *

"Banned," Angelina whispered faintly as she clutched the armchair she was sitting in. "My best players banned. I...I need to go to bed. Maybe I'll wake up and it'll all have been a bad dream."

She'd spent the rest of the day in shock, wandering through the halls aimlessly and sitting quietly through dinner. A snow storm had picked up sometime in the afternoon and whenever the wind gave a particularly loud howl Harry turned to the sullen looking Hitsugaya. Despite the large bruise that now adorned his stomach he was pretty thankful that Toshiro had stepped in and pulled him off Malfoy. Things might have turned out a whole lot worse if he hadn't.

The Boy Who Lived sighed sadly as the thought of his ban resurfaced in his mind. So he'd punched Malfoy? It wasn't like his jaw was broken or anything. And the git had only gotten lines after everything he'd done.

The wind beat against the windows and he turned to find Toshiro glaring into space, probably still fuming about his detention. Why exactly he'd gotten dragged into things was a mystery to Harry. If anything, it most likely had more to do with Umbridge's dislike of his hair colour than anything else.

Hermione who was sitting beside him leaned over to whisper in his ear. "Have you seen Ron?"

Actually, now that she mentioned it...

"Uh...no. I haven't," he said, rather surprised. He glanced around the common room noticing for the first time that the redhead wasn't there.

"Well," he huffed as he stood. "Best go find hi—

They all turned at the sound of the portrait hole opening and found Ron standing there, his hair crusted with ice and snow.

"Where've you been?" Hermione asked as he made his way over.

"Walking."

"You look frozen, come sit down." The redhead took a seat, still wearing his Quidditch robes.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, not making eye contact with either of them.

"For what?" Harry asked, not sure where this was going.

"For thinking I could play Quidditch. I'll resign first thing in the morning."

"If you resign there won't be much of a team left," Hitsugaya grumbled from his seat by the window.

"What?"

"Your brothers and Potter've been banned."

Ron paled. "You're joking right?"

"Ya, sure," Toshiro said flatly as he went back to staring out of the window.

Hermione relayed the story and when she was done Ron looked ill. "This is all my fault!"

"You didn't _make _me punch Malfoy," Harry growled, angrier at himself than anything.

When they began squabbling it was only a matter of moments before Hermione intervened. "Both of you should just drop it!"

"It's bad enough without him blaming himself for something that isn't his fault," Harry shot back angrily, but he could feel the wind leaving his sails.

Ron slumped in his seat. "This is the worst I've ever felt in my life."

"Join the club," he said tiredly.

There was silence for a few moments before Toshiro shifted in his seat, still staring out of the window. "Hagrid's back," he said, sounding only mildly interested.

Hermione shot up from her chair to get a look as well. "You're right!"

Harry made his way over and sure enough he could spot the light coming from the windows of Hagrid's hut. He took off up the stairs without a word to the dormitory to grab the invisibility cloak and the Marauder's map. When returned Ron and Hermione were waiting to go but Toshiro was looking content in his seat.

"Aren't you coming?"

Hitsugaya sighed, "I'd prefer not to..."

"Oh come on!" Harry protested. "Hagrid doesn't even know you're here yet. And he really likes you."

The other looked back at him unconvinced. "I thought you were supposed to protect me! I'm about to sneak out of the school after hours and go trudging through a bloody snowstorm."

Toshiro tiredly ran a hand over his face before standing. "...Fine. Let's go."

The crap he put up with.

* * *

Dear Readers,

Just out of curiosity, anyone here keeping up with Kuroshitsuji? Because uh... Undertaker in the newest chapter was like..._amazing._ I always loved him, but _now_...And Bleach! Holy crap. The new chapters are getting so epic! I haven't been this interested in the series in awhile. Even Naruto has been really good lately. Anyway, how did you all like the movie? I LOVED it. I sat there and cried as soon as the Warner Brothers' logo appeared. One thing that surprised me was the whole Luna and Neville thing...because I'd actually been planning to do that in this series. So it felt as if someone had reached into my head and put in on the screen...I think I'll just lay aside that idea now. It's over...and it's all so sad. But, at least we've got Pottermore though right? My friend was nice enough to find that clue and get me an early access account. I'm so excited! Thanks for reading,

ForeverFalling.


	19. Genesis

A/N: Hey everyone! How have you been? Good I hope! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, it really makes my day to read them all.

**OVER 1000 REVIEWS!**

Ican't thank you all enough for your continued support. As any writer on this or any other site will tell you, reviews mean a lot. So thank you, thank you, _thank you_ from the bottom of my heart.

**I've posted a new Bleach one-shot called Winding Down, so check that out if you're interested. **

* * *

"_I thought you were supposed to protect me! I'm about to sneak out of the school after hours and go trudging through a bloody snowstorm." _

_Toshiro tiredly ran a hand over his face before standing. "...Fine. Let's go."_

_The crap he put up with._

* * *

The cold was biting as they made the trek down the grounds to Hagrid's but while the trio cowered beneath their sweaters Toshiro relished it. He could practically feel his lips turning blue as they climbed down the steps from the castle- and it was the best thing he'd felt in a while. It was a bit early in the year for snow, but he wasn't entirely sure if it was his own doing or simply a cold front moving through.

Harry, Ron and Hermione were crowded beneath the invisibility cloak being that there was barely enough room for the three of them Toshiro had volunteered to take his chances. The Shinigami couldn't deny that he was actually quite interested in what Hagrid had been up to in the past months. Yet, he really hoped that Grubbyplank would continue with the Care of Magical Creatures classes. The lack of injuries and near death incidences had been a lovely change from his past experiences in Hagrid's class.

The windows of the cabin were shining, acting as a beacon in the darkness. Harry slid out from under his cloak and raised a fist to bang on the door. When there was no immediate answer he leaned into the keyhole and called out. They heard Hagrid's booming voice from inside along with Fang's incessant barking. Toshiro grimaced, having almost forgotten about the overgrown mutt that had very nearly flattened him on several occasions.

"Should've known it'd be you three," Hagrid grumbled as he threw open the door only to have Hermione scream. The man's face was covered in a mix of purple and black bruises, one of his eyes nearly swollen shut.

"Calm down," Hagrid urged, ushering them into his cabin. "It's nothing really, I— _Toshiro_?"

The taicho couldn't blame him for not noticing him right away. White hair, pale skin and a white shirt acted as decent camouflage against the snow.

"It's good to see you again," Toshiro greet him calmly as he reluctantly followed after the others into the warmth.

"Merlin's beard, what're you doin' here?"

"I'm afraid it's a rather long story."

Hagrid nodded as he shut the door behind him and they both made their way over to the seats by the fire where the others were already waiting.

"Haven't had time to see Dumbledore, but I guess he'll explain things later. Yer' here for the whole year then?"

"Yes, I've been in this world since Harry's incident with the Dementors."

"Tha' long?" Hagrid mused as he began going about making some tea. "Well, if it's Dementors that're the problem, I guess you shouldn't be far behind eh?"

"There's more to it than that, but yes," the taicho conceded, inching away from Fang whose interest in him was seemingly rekindled.

"Hagrid, are you alright?" Ron asked worriedly.

"I'm fine."

"Come off it!" the redhead yelled. "You've been attacked!"

"I'm fine!" Hagrid insisted as he bustled about, picking up an oddly green steak from his table.

"You should get yourself checked over," the white haired boy suggested, watching as the steak was hefted onto Hagrid's swollen eye. Zaraki would approve no doubt.

"Oh, Hagrid," Hermione groaned looking a little green herself. "That can't be sanitary!"

"S'dragon meat."

"Did...did the giants beat you up?" Ron asked quietly, his eyes shining in the light of the fire.

"Giants?" Toshrio asked curiously, having never heard where Hagrid had gone off to. "You've been with giants?"

"I-I've no idea what yer' talking about," the man protested as he pulled the kettle off of the fire.

"Oh come Hagrid," Harry goaded as he was handed a cup practically the size of a bucket.

Toshiro declined when offered a cup and instead passed it on to Hermione who looked a little daunted at the thought of drinking it all.

"Who told ya?" Hagrid asked as he took a seat.

"We...sorta guessed," Ron said sheepishly.

Hagrid sighed as he leaned back in his chair, a look of defeat playing across his face before a smile broke out, almost hidden beneath the large slab of steak. "Well, it's a bit of a long story..."

"We've got time," Harry laughed before he took a sip of his tea.

* * *

As it would turn out, it was indeed quite a long story- but an interesting one. Toshiro had heard about giants in History of Magic, but it was one thing to read about them in the past and actually sit beside someone who had giant blood. The fact the Voldemort was recruiting magical creatures boded ill for the wizards, but Toshiro could see the potential in it as well.

"But Hagrid," Hermione started. "This doesn't explain who attacked you, or why you're so—

Fang suddenly yelped and jumped to his feet by the fire and it only took Toshiro a moment to gather through his slightly muddled senses that someone was coming.

"Hide," he urged as he began picking up the mugs and shoved them under the nearest chair.

"What about you?" Ron asked he made his way over to the corner of the room where Harry was already waiting with the cloak.

"There isn't enough room under there, I'll make do," the taicho assured him.

When the three teens were hidden from sight Hagrid turned to stare at him. "Well? Aren't you goin' to hide too?"

"Yes," he nodded. The only problem was he had no idea where _to _hide.

In the end he wound up ducking behind one of the couches and hiding between the furniture and the wall. He peaked through the window behind him and wasn't surprised in the least to find Umbridge walking up the path.

"Interfering woman," he growled as he ducked back down. Hagrid met her at the door, -unfortunately- wrestling Fang away before he could tackle her to the stoop.

"You're Hagrid?" She croaked as she brushed passed him into the cabin.

"Yeah," he answered as he shut the door behind her. "I don't mean to be rude but, who the ruddy hell are you?"

"I," she said, and Toshiro could just imagine her puffing up slightly as she adjusted her ever present clipboard. "Am Dolores Umbridge, Professor of the defence again the Dark Arts—

"Bloody brave of ya'," Hagrid laughed. "People are always goin' on about how the job's cursed."

"And Hogwarts' High Inquisitor."

"Wha's tha'?" Hagrid asked but apparently Umbridge didn't feel a need to answer his question and instead she made a slow circuit of the cabin, examining everything closely.

"I heard voices."

Toshiro winced as he crouched down even farther. If they were caught it wouldn't look good.

"I was just talkin' to Fang."

The taicho shook his head resisting the urge to slam his skull against the wall he was leaning against. Umbridge already had it out for anyone she deemed abnormal and Toshiro was more than positive he was on her little hit list and if Hagrid kept this up, the half giant would be gone before the week was through.

"And he talks _back_?"

"You'd be surprised!" Hagrid replied "Sometimes he seems very hum—

"There were three sets of footprints headed towards your cabin. And none returning," Umbridge sneered, her pink nailed fingers tapping along her wooden clipboard. "Care to explain?"

Hagrid babbled uselessly, struggling to think of an excuse and coming up short. The High Inquisitor began blatantly searching the rooms, opening cabinets and looking under tables. Toshiro was now practically lying on the floor and wondering why the hell he'd even agreed to come in the first place. He was getting too old for this.

The Shinigami sighed as Umbridge continued to interrogate Hagrid and vaguely wondered when the floors had last been washed. If he hadn't needed to stick close to Harry to figure out what the hell was going on with him, Toshiro would've stood up by now, brushed off his pants and taken a seat. It wasn't like he actually had any other reason to not get expelled. He didn't need an education and he didn't even really like magic. Hell, half the time he couldn't even remember where his wand was. Actually...he really did need to track that thing down.

When Umbridge finally deemed herself ready to leave Toshiro was thoroughly covered in dust and some other unidentifiable purple substance that had been stuck to the back of the couch. When the coast was clear he climbed to his feet, finding that the purple gunk had managed to harden on the sleeve of his shirt.

"Inspectin' people," Hagrid grumbled. "Imagine tha'."

"What exactly...are you planning on teaching Hagrid?" Hermione asked hesitantly, as if she actually didn't want to know.

"I've been savin' some really great creatures for your OWL year," the man smiled, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

Toshiro shook his head as he tried to pry the stubborn purple substance- that was getting more and more rocklike as the minutes ticked by- from the material of his shirt.

"Why don't I stop by tomorrow and help you with your lesson plans," Hermione suggested gently and Harry along with Ron nodded emphatically.

"Toshiro, what the bloody hell is on your sleeve?" Ron asked as he peered over at him.

"I've not the slightest idea," the white haired boy growled as he dug his nails into the congealing goo. He knew the shirt was a lost cause when they didn't even make a scratch. He huffed as he dropped his arm, glancing over at Hagrid. "I'd watch your step. Umbridge will look for any excuse to put you on probation."

"I'll be fine," the other assured as he set the dragon meat down on the kitchen table. "But you all should be gettin' to bed! Toshiro, you shouldn't be lettin' them out at night!" he admonished as he pulled the mug from their hiding place and went about cleaning them up. "S'not safe."

The Shinigami gave him a flat look, not dignifying the remark with an response as he made his way to the door, sidestepping Fang as he did.

"I sort of convinced him to come," Harry said. "More like blackmailed actually..."

Hagrid gave a disapproving grunt but otherwise didn't reply. "Ya three'll be the death of me. And Toshiro's too if he wasn't already...well, you know."

The Shinigami rolled his eyes as he opened the door and stepped out into the snowy air, the cold wind carding through his hair like icy fingers. Hermione followed after him glancing up at the lawns that spanned out before them.

"She was right," the witch murmured. "There are only three sets of tracks...You don't make any marks in the snow."

"Generally, my kind don't," Toshiro informed her as Harry wished Hagrid a good night. "Some might, but it's more to do with their ability to control their powers, or distraction than anything else. It tends to disturb people when they can hear or see footsteps but not identify what's making them," He continued as they all began trudging up the hill back towards the castle and the promise of a warm bed.

"I suppose that _would_ be startling," Hermione smiled as she brushed some snow from her bangs. "I can understand training someone to not make any noise when they walk, but how could you possibly teach someone not to make footprints?" she wondered aloud, her eyes straying to his in the darkness.

"It's very similar to how I walk on air."

"You can _fly?_" Ron yelled, awe written plainly on his face.

"Oh yeah," Harry said, remembering. "I forgot to tell you guys. I guess I forgot in all the excitement."

"How the bloody hell do you forget that you saw a bloke _fly_?" Ron asked incredulously.

"I was a little distracted," Harry growled defensively as he began to stomp through the snow.

"I don't _fly_," Toshiro clarified. "I simply walk, or stand, or run."

"On air," Ron added.

"Yes, on air." The three of them stared at him expectantly.

"Well," Ron prompted, giving him a slight shove. "Give it a go!"

He sighed, and the three watched amazed as he seemed to just step into the very air.

"Bloody hell," the redhead gasped as he crouched down and waved his hand beneath the other's feet. "How do you do that without a spell?"

The dead boy only shrugged, not willing to give them an answer.

"So, you never actually touch the ground?" Hermione asked as she eyed him standing there. "You look like you are, but you're actually hovering slightly."

"Exactly," he nodded as he stepped back down.

"If I could do that, I'd fly everywhere," Harry said longingly, his eyes glittering in the light of the torches that lined the entryway.

* * *

The DA meetings continued with everyone making marked improvement, especially Neville. It seemed like Harry's words of encouragement had broken through some barrier that Neville had been battling against for years, and since then his magical ability flourished- at least in the DA; he was still absolutely _hopeless_ in Potions. Toshiro could now make it through the meetings without risking life and limb.

But while that was going well, everything else was still going rather poorly and there was the added displeasure of Umbridge skulking around the school with her clipboard in hand. While Neville assured him that he was just being paranoid Toshiro could swear that the toad of a woman spent most of their Defence against the Dark Arts lessons staring at him. Whenever he'd look up from his work, her eyes would dart away, but as he sat there he could feel those beady things burning holes in his head. And if she wasn't staring, she was inquiring about his family.

"So, you said your father _also _has white hair?" She asked for what seemed to be the hundredth time.

"Yes," he answered flatly, setting aside his quill to stare up at her.

"And he was a full blooded wizard?"

It seemed that Hermione's suggestion at the beginning of the year that Umbridge believed him to be some sort of half breed was correct and Umbridge went after him with the same enthusiasm she did Hagrid.

"_Yes_," he growled tensely as the rest of the class continued on with their work having long grown used to Umbridge's questioning. "And where does your family hail from?"

"Japan," he said slowly.

She quickly scribbled something down and Toshiro wondered if she'd ever just give up. It was rather pathetic really.

"Why don't you just leave him alone?" Harry suddenly snapped, tossing down his quill. "You think we don't all know what you're up to?"

"_Potter_," Toshiro hissed as he turned around in his seat. "We've already got detention, what are you trying to do?"

A smile that only promised pain played across the toad's face as she clucked her tongue and made her way back to her desk.

"I'm afraid I'll have to add to your detention Mr. Potter. You'd do well to listen to Mr. Hitsugaya."

The bell rang and students began packing away their things and handing in their work.

"I'll be seeing you both tonight," Umbridge reminded them as Harry and Toshiro set their papers in the collection basket. The Boy Who Lived grumbled and nodded while Toshiro refused to acknowledge her words.

"You could've backed me up," Harry growled as he hoisted his book bag over his shoulder. The Shinigami gave him a flat look as they made their way to the Great Hall.

"Or you could have shown some sense and kept your mouth shut for once."

"I was just trying to help!"

"I appreciate the sentiment. But next time," he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Do me a favour, and don't."

Throughout dinner Harry was rather cross and whether that was because of the detention they were both dreading or what he'd said to him earlier, Toshiro was unsure. Either way, Potter ignored him for the duration of the meal and Hitsugaya had a feeling he was nowhere near as offended by it as the teen had hoped he would be. Everyone seemed rather quiet, even Neville hadn't tried to make any conversation seeming to sense the tension. The taicho himself simply sat back and enjoyed the quiet, only picking at his food as he had for the past few weeks. Lately the rich food the English were prone to eating was wreaking havoc on his stomach as it never really had before and he'd prefer to not feel nauseous during his stint with Umbridge.

When they heard the twins bid their friends goodbye from a few meters down the table they knew it was time to get going. Neville wished them good luck as they stood and Toshiro thanked him before the four of them began trudging off.

"What do ya' think she'll make us do?" George asked as they climbed the steps.

"Can't be worse than detention with Snape," Fred answered back. "Your fingers were black for three weeks."

George winced at the memory, nodding.

"What do you think?" They asked together, their gaze sliding to stare at the Shinigami.

"I've no idea," he shrugged. "I've never had detention before."

"Oh, a goody two shoes!" Fred laughed as they both swung an arm over his shoulders. "Don't you worry," one began. "We'll show you," the other continued. "Everything we know," the finished together.

"Soon, you'll be just as bad as us!"

"I look forward to it," he replied dryly as Harry pushed open the door to the Defence against the Dark Arts classroom and stomped over to the stairs that lead to the office. The twins continued to joke around as they climbed the steps, all the while promising to 'show him the ropes', but as soon as they stepped foot into Umbridge's office a hush fell over them. Toshiro, the last one in, only took a moment to realize why.

_Pink_. It was..._everywhere_.

"Bloody hell," the twins whispered, their voices almost drowned out by the sounds of hundreds of kittens meowing. Toshiro couldn't help but nod in agreement, his eyes trailing over the pink washed walls covered in knickknacks and plates.

"I think I'm going to vomit," Fred groused, looking almost personally offended by the lurid colour.

"Please refrain from doing so on my carpet Mr. Weasley," Umbridge coughed from her place behind her doyley covered desk.

"So much lace," Harry whispered, eyeing the desks and the carpet beneath their feet.

"Take your seats," the toad croaked as she stood. Fred and George went to sit beside one another which earned a small hacking sound from the Professor. "I think you two would do well from some time apart," she smiled sweetly as she flicked her wand.

One of the desks slid to the other side of the room and she gestured for Fred to follow it. The twins shared a look before they both took their respective seats. Each of them had a piece of parchment on their desks as well as a quill meaning that they were doomed to write lines for the next hour or so.

"Alright," Umbridge began. "I want all of you to write: I will not start fights, until the message _sinks_ in."

"We didn't st—

"_Silence_, Mr. Weasley," she hissed cutting off Fred. She gave a small giggle at the put out look on his face as she took her seat.

"Professor, you haven't given us any ink," Harry pointed out.

"You won't be needing any," she smiled wickedly before going back to her work.

Toshiro toyed with his quill for a moment, noticing how sharp the point seemed to be before he set to work. As he began writing he expected the ink to magically appear only to find that nothing was happening. He tried again and yet still nothing appeared. He sighed and scratched at the back of his hand for a moment before trying again.

Harry suddenly let out a hiss of pain and soon even the twins had stopped working, all of them grasping at their hands. Umbridge let out a small laugh as the other three glared up at her.

Toshiro leaned over to see that the message _I shall not start fights_ had been cut into the back of Harry's hand but right before his eyes the cuts began to heal over leaving the skin a bright irritated red.

"Keep going," Umbridge urged as she turned back to her work, a smile still firmly in place. Green eyes met teal and Toshiro shrugged; it wasn't like lessons at the academy left you feeling right as rain either. He picked up his quill again but he was beginning to think that his was defective. Harry seemed to pick up on his struggling as glanced over to see what the problem was.

"Toshiro," he suddenly hissed, trying not to catch Umbridge's attention. "Your hand."

The taicho glanced down in time to see that while his hand wasn't bleeding, the words _I shall not start fights_ were scrawled in brown across his hand. It took him a moment to realize that the brown was in fact the wood of the desk that his hand was resting against.

His hand was going _see through_.

He traced another line across his paper, watching as his skin began to disappear.

"What the hell is happening?" Harry asked, his eyes going wide. Toshiro examined his hand for a moment realizing that the pen was slicing through the magical particles that were clinging to him, allowing for him to remain visible to living eyes.

"Is there a problem Mr. Hitsugaya?" the Professor inquired, setting down her own quill and focusing her attention on him.

"The quill," he began hesitantly. "Doesn't appear to be working."

Umbridge frowned before digging out another quill from within her drawers and heading over. She looked at his paper before handing him the new one.

"Give it a try," she said.

The taicho glanced at Harry, wondering how the hell he was going to explain this. He began to write something only for nothing to appear on the paper as he'd known it wouldn't.

"I fear this one is broken as well Professor," he tried, hoping for the best.

"That can't be right," she grumbled, taking the quill herself and scratching a small line onto the paper. A cut swiftly appeared on her hand as Hitsugaya had known it would.

"Try again," she urged, her eyes suddenly alight with curiosity. By now the twins had stopped their own writing and were looking nervously at Umbridge as well. George's hand was slowly straying to his pant pocket.

"Go on," Umbridge growled. "Write something!"

The room suddenly was suddenly filled with opaque black smoke and Toshiro wasted no time in snapping the two quills he'd been holding. Someone opened the office door to help clear the smoke and the room was a chaos of coughs and meows.

"Professor," one of the twins called "I think someone's played a prank on you!"

"_Someone _indeed!" Umbridge shrieked back as she fanned the air.

"Obviously can't continue in this mess! Well, see you next week," one of the twins yelled as he snagged Toshiro by the arm and dragged him from the room.

The door slammed behind them, muffling the hacking coughs of Umbridge and the annoyed sounds of her cats.

"What _was _that?" Harry asked, coughing into his hand.

"Something we've been working on," Fred grinned. "We've just got a few more kinks to work out."

"A bit too thick maybe," George said appraisingly."Might have some..._adverse_ effects on the lungs."

Fred seemed to consider his statement for a moment before nodding. They were all covered in a fine layer of black powder and took to brushing themselves off as they made their way to the common room.

"That won't buy you much time mate," Harry sighed unhappily. "She's going to be even madder now. I reckon she'll be stalking you soon!"

"I'll take all the time I can get."

"I guess. But, what was that back there?"

The white haired boy frowned. "I'm not entirely sure. It seems as though the quill was cutting through the magical particles that allow me to be visible. Human weapons can't cut my kind so I'm not surprised it couldn't harm me, I just hadn't expected it to cut through the particles like it did."

"Wicked," George smiled as he clapped the taicho on the back. "You're one interesting bloke. Can't say I envy you though."

"Not with that toady on your back," Fred finished, an identical smile playing across his lips.

"Thank you," he said sarcastically as they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Well, best of luck gents," Fred laughed as George said the password and they vanished into the warmth of the common room. Toshiro went to follow only for Harry to grab the back of his robes. He turned around to find Potter looking at the floor, his face a mess of worry lines.

"Can we...not mention this to Ron and Hermione? The whole...quill thing?"

"If that's what you want, but I'm going to have to tell Dumbledore about it."

Harry looked annoyed at the mention of the Headmaster, having been cross with him for weeks. "I don't see why—

"I'm supposed to be guarding you Potter," Hitsugaya pointed out blandly. "What kind of guard would I be if I didn't mention that you were being tortured by a teacher?"

"I would hardly call it tort—

"I'm not exactly inclined to classify it as torture either, but that's what any other Professor would call it. That's what Dumbledore _will_ call it. I told him I'd protect you, and I will to my best ability."

Harry looked as though he wanted to say something but Toshiro decided he'd had just about enough of wizards for one day and climbed through the portrait hole before heading up to bed without letting Harry get another word in edgewise.

* * *

"My Lord," the voice of his servant drawled. "It would be most advantageous to have it on our side."

His eyes flicked down to the man who was still kneeling before him on the marble floor.

"Its power is unlike anything I have ever seen before."

"This creature is truly powerful?" He asked uninterested as his fingers ran over the scales of the snake coiled in his lap.

"Even Dumbledore is wary of it my Lord."

"But it can be bound?"

His servant nodded. "Dumbledore may have fouled his chances in winning its allegiance, but given the proper..._motivation_ I'm sure it would join our ranks. It seems..._sympathetic_ to your aims my Lord."

"Dumbledore was a fool to offend this creature," he hissed quietly. "I myself will not make the same mistake. _Bring it to me._"

The man looked up, black locks sliding away from his face. "My Lord, it is under Dumbledore's watchful eye. If it were to suddenly vanish he would surely grow suspicious. I beg you to bide your time and wait until the right moment is upon us!"

He sat back in his chair, his fingers still stroking the snake that remained content entwining itself around his arms.

"When the time is right," he mused aloud, his voice echoing off the cavernous walls and ringing in the ears of his other servants who lined the walls waiting; listening.

"Fine," he conceded. "But, when the time comes, _you_ will deliver him to me."

His servant gave a small grin. "If all goes well my Lord, _it _will come to _you_."

He laughed and soon his servants joined him, their voices growing until they were thundering- so loud they were shaking the very floor, making it tremble and shift beneath his feet—

"Potter!"

Harry realized that it wasn't the noise causing the shaking, but someone trying to wake him. Green eyes cracked open to find a pale and drawn looking Hitsugaya standing over him.

"You were laughing. Loudly."

"Sorry," he apologized, rubbing at his sleep burred eyes. "I woke you?"

The other teen shrugged tiredly. "I woke a few minutes ago."

"You should get some more sleep, you look awful," Harry said, pulling the covers up to his shoulders to try and stave off the cold.

"I _feel _awful," Toshiro admitted as he climbed back into his own bed, ignoring the covers as he puffed up his pillow and buried his head in it.

Harry glanced out the window, noticing the beginning traces of the dawn tainting the night sky. He yawned tiredly as he settled back down, hoping to catch a few more hours of sleep before he needed to get up. He slowly drifted off again with the sound of laughter still quietly ringing in his ears.

* * *

Dear Readers,

So, it's been awhile eh? Writing was sort of put on the back burner for awhile due to my moving out and leaving the province for University. School is...crazy? It seems to me that the professors get together and pick one date for all their quizzes and essays. Either way, I'm having a pretty good time. I'm turning eighteen this weekend so my mum and aunt have driven up to celebrate with me. They want to be here for my first _legal_ drink. I should be a fun weekend. Anyway, as promised, here is the title and summary of the next instalment of this series:

**Winter of Our Discontent **

The war is upon them; comrades become enemies, and enemies are made allies. In a time of hatred and fear Toshiro struggles to protect the people he has come to call his friends. But the ends justify the means, and he's willing to go to the ends of earth if it means saving those that he's come to care for.


	20. Don't be Fooled: Just an AN

Hey everyone! How have you been? Good I hope! I've had about 8 people message me in the last week alone about updates and I figured that I'm basically a terrible person who should really let people know that I'm not dead. First of all: I'm so sorry! Truly. As it would turn out, my first year of university was harder than I thought it'd be. This term I took an intensive German class that turned out to be _seriously _(for lack of a better term) intense. Luckily enough, school wraps up for me on April 26th and then I will be as free as a bird to write again!

The next chapter is a pretty big one plot wise, and I've been looking forward to writing it since The Dead of Winter. I fly out on the 27th and I'll get right to work, I promise! Thank you all for your patience.

Also, if you're ever curious about updates and things, I have a section on my profile I update regularly. Although, there appears to be something wrong with my profile at the moment and everything is set up wrong. Not sure what's happening there and apparently I can't fix it because on my preview it's perfect...So... yes. Happy Fred and George's birthday! Feel free to message me if you want to ask me something or just chat about anything!

ForeverFalling.


	21. Neck Deep

Hey everyone! How have you been? Good I hope! Thanks to all those who reviewed, it really makes my day to read them all.

**I have to say, I'm probably just as surprised as you that this is actually an update.**

**Thanks to everyone who contacted me through PM'ing or Tumblr during the hiatus. Even you, mysterious commenter, who insulted my honour, and set a curse upon my house. **

* * *

_He yawned tiredly as he settled back down, hoping to catch a few more hours of sleep before he needed to get up. He slowly drifted off again with the sound of laughter still quietly ringing in his ears._

* * *

News broke over breakfast on Monday that Angelina had offered Ginny the now open Seeker's one had really expected that, but upon further thought it wasn't all the surprising; anyone close to her knew that she was a talented all around player, able to give her elder brothers a run for their money. It went unsaid that Ginny had accepted.

"I'm happy for her," Harry said, stabbing a piece of bacon viciously with his fork. And maybe he was, but he sure as hell didn't look it and judging by the way Ginny was avoiding their section of the table she'd certainly noticed the tension bleeding off the teen.

"She's brilliant," he continued as his fork screeched shrilly against his plate. "She'll be _bloody brilliant_."

"Why don't you go talk to Dumbledore?" Ron suggested; wincing as Harry tossed his fork down with a loud clatter.

"The man won't even _look _at me. You think I'm going to go right up and talk to him?"

The redhead shrugged, looking back to his own food as Hermione sent a sympathetic look in his direction. She'd been smart enough to keep out of it, paying more attention to her newspaper than the angst that was happening across from her; when Harry was in a mood it was best to plough through it and hope for the best.

"Don't take out your frustrations on Ron," Toshiro said flatly as he stirred his tea, hoping the caffeine would help perk him up. "If there's something to be done about this, it certainly isn't that."

"So what should I do, oh great protector? What do _you_ suppose is the answer?"

The taicho rolled his eyes as he calmly set aside his teaspoon. "I think that considering it's almost Christmas break, you should relax, take some time to regroup, and come back in January ready to fight it."

"She banned me _for life_!"

"So I've heard," he answered blandly. "I trust you'll still be banned for life after the holidays. So calm down before you manage to give yourself an aneurysm."

Harry looked affronted for a moment before he sighed, all the anger seeming to slip out of him. "I'm sorry. I- it's not that I'm mad at you all. It's just frustrating. I can't _stand _her. And she's taking everything good away."

"It is frustrating," Toshiro agreed. "But, this isn't a time for arguing amongst the ranks. Besides, we have other things to worry about at the moment."

"Umbridge is evaluating Hagrid today," Hermione said at Harry and Ron's confused looks. "And in case you were wondering, He didn't care to accept my help on drawing up a lesson plan."

"Bloody hell. He's doomed," Ron groaned, his head banging down onto the table with a clatter of cutlery.

While Ron and Harry had spent the weekend catching up on their schoolwork, Hermione had spent the better part of Sunday trying to convince Hagrid to follow a sure fire lesson plan that she had made for Umbridge's evaluation. Obviously, it hadn't gone so well.

"You'll have to prepare yourselves for the possibility that he'll be asked to leave," Toshiro said. "But you've also got to remember that Dumbledore won't abandon him. Once everything is settled, he'll be able to come back."

"That's _if _everything is settled," Ron grumbled.

"Things are in the works," the taicho promised him.

"I still don't get why _you _get to be in the Order and we don't," the redhead complained.

"I'm over one hundred and twenty years old, I've been tasked with your protection, and I have previous military experience," Toshiro told him succinctly. "What's not to get? This isn't some isolated struggle anymore. It's a war, which none of you have any idea how to deal with- and frankly, you shouldn't. If I can do my part to prevent you from getting involved, then I have an obligation...as your friend," he added hesitantly.

He knew that Neville was his friend- his _best_- and Luna was a close second, but he'd never been sure where he stood with the others. They had a way of closing themselves off from everyone else. He knew they didn't hate him- he knew Harry sometimes disliked him, but being friends meant more than toleration. Acquaintances might be more apt, he thought in hindsight.

"Was that a question, or a statement?" Ron joked as he shoved aside a basket of scones.

"You _are _our friend, Toshiro," Hermione assured him. "And you wanting to protect us is a nice sentiment. But we don't need your protection. This isn't your war- it's not your fight. And we won't drag you into it."

Toshiro stared into the depths of his tea, almost wishing that were true. Things would be so much simpler— he cut off that line of thought, knowing only frustration and regret lay down that path. He had time for neither.

"I'm already neck deep," he told her as he roughly set down his cup, ignoring how the earl grey sloshed over the sides.

_ I'm drowning_.

"It's a little too late for that now."

* * *

Hagrid's class was, of course, an unmitigated disaster. Of all the creatures he could use- there were literally hundreds available to him that were year appropriate and ministry approved- he picked the Thestrals that the class had only briefly been exposed to in their third year. The undead horses flocked to the raw meat that Hagrid had used as a lure, a few straying closer to the group of teenagers, many of the students shying away, unable to see, but able to sense that something was there.

Toshiro shooed a young one away as it nipped at the hem of his sleeve, tugging him towards its mother.

"This is going to be awful," Hermione said, her face lined with worry as she watched Hagrid try to tempt some students closer.

Umbridge had arrived late, but Toshiro noticed when she slunk in amongst the students milling at the edge of the forest- the ones too spooked to go near. She floated from group to group, her grating voice drifting over to his ears as she twisted the words of the well meaning few and encouraged the discontented to air their complaints.

Harry was gritting his teeth, trying to ignore her as she made her rounds.

"Just let it go," Toshiro said, grabbing Harry's wrist to stop him from marching over to her. "Leave it."

It was a painful thing, to watch her and Hagrid's interaction; nerves, his normal bumbling personality, and unpreparedness, were his ultimate downfall.

"It's like watching a train wreck." Neville leaned over to whisper in his ear. "It's gruesome, but I can't bloody well look away."

"I've watched men be executed with more grace than this," Toshiro nodded, grimacing as he listened to Hagrid fumble yet another answer to one of Umbridge's loaded questions.

"Exec- you know, I'm not going to ask."

"Better not to, I imagine."

It was definitely one of the most painful things he'd ever watched that hadn't involved intestines pouring out of places where they shouldn't be pouring out of. Many of the Slytherins were watching it like a blood sport, but even those who generally begged for Hagrid's resignation were wincing occasionally.

"Mr. Longbottom?"

Neville jumped, startled as Umbridge simpered from behind her clipboard, having appeared suddenly behind his shoulder

"Do you feel that you are being properly educated by this...man?"

"Well- uh, yes? Yes. I-I do," He stammered, never doing well when put on the spot.

"It's alright to tell the truth, dear," Umbridge said encouragingly.

Toshiro crossed his arms, glaring up at her.

"I am. I swear. Hagrid's great- I mean, Professor Hagrid. He's...got a unique teaching style that's...enjoyable."

"Right," she drawled, scratching something onto her paper. "And I suppose you must love being taught by someone you have...something in common with, Mr. Hitsugaya."

When the whole thing was finally over, Hagrid looked dazed and Umbridge pleased, while anyone who remotely liked their professor appeared to all be fighting the urge to bash their heads in on a tree. However, it was Hermione's sad resignation that stood apart from the pack. He could see it in her eyes: the disappointment, and maybe a dash of anger. She'd tried, after all, to help Hagrid. Taken the time to draw up a lesson plan for him and walk him through it.

As the class began to clear of the forest and make their way back up the grounds he strode over to where Hagrid was wiping his hands on some ragged terrycloth with a downtrodden look.

"I hope you're happy with yourself," Toshiro hissed up at the half giant.

"Well, now," Hagrid started, looking offended.

"Don't start," the taicho growled, eyes flashing. "You're going to be fired, and it's no one's fault but your own. But, do you know who won't see it that way? Hermione. If I were in charge I'd—

He inhaled deeply, reigning in his temper as he watched the grass at his feet frost over. "Well, I'm not in charge, so that doesn't matter," he amended. "But I hope you're satisfied with what you've done."

Hagrid had the good sense to look guilty. "I couldn' jus' change who I am for her," he sighed, shoving the cloth into his pant pocket. "If ya' change yourself for everyone who doesn't like ya' or has a problem with ya'...well, before ya' know it, ya' won't know who's lookin' back at you from the mirror. I'm a lotta' things, Toshiro. But I'm not ashamed a' who or what I am."

The taicho considered the half giant for a moment, before huffing as he gave a nod, his shoulder slumping.

"I get it, but she doesn't. So you'd better explain it to her," he said gently, toeing at the frozen blades of grass at his feet.

"I will," Hagrid said, giving him a sad smile. "Before they sack me—

"They might not—

"We both know they will. But, I'd rather be fired fer' somethin' I am, than kept on fer' somethin' I'm not."

Toshiro nodded as he ran a hand through his hair. "Your students are going to miss you."

Hagrid made a face that said he thought otherwise as he grabbed his bag and they started walking in the general direction of his cabin.

"They will," Toshiro assured him. "It's just that the ones that matter will be too shy to tell you so."

Of all the teachers at Hogwarts, Hagrid had been the only one to ever reach out to him on an individual level- to make any real effort to get to know him. And maybe Toshiro had never really needed it, far passed the point where the comments and attitude that his hair and looks garnered gave him any real trouble. But there had been, and would be, plenty of students who'd needed that special attention that Hagrid had given them.

"You're a good man, Hagrid," Toshiro told him as they stood together on the edge of the Forbidden Forrest, the Thestrals grazing around them, watching the students disappear up the grassy hills towards the castle.

"A very good man."

* * *

Between the Order, worrying over Hagrid, the DA, classes, and teenage drama which Toshiro tried his best to avoid but somehow still got tangled in, Christmas managed to sneak up on him. Neville had had to walk right into a decorated tree that was hovering in the hallway before either of them even realised that the season was upon them.

"I haven't even thought about gifts," Neville groaned as he pulled pine needles out from the stitching of his sweater.

"You'll think of something," Toshiro told him as he plied a stray needle from the back of Neville's shoulder. "And you don't need to think about getting me anything this year. I've had no time to think of gifts either. We don't need to exchange gifts this year."

"Would be a mite easier."

"Then it's settled."

They shook on it and that was that.

"I don't know what to get Neville for Christmas."

Hermione looked up from the essay she'd spent the day working on. Ron and Harry were off playing a pickup game of Quidditch with some of the other Gryffindors who'd made the collective decision to pull Harry out of his funk before his angst ruined the entire holiday season.

"Didn't you _just_ say that you agreed to not exchange gifts this year?"

"Yes, but I've still got to get him something," Toshiro sighed, wracking his brain for ideas as he collapsed back into his chair cushion. Maybe Matsumoto would come up with something. She was nothing if not imaginative when it came to gifts.

"But—

"Since when am I the premiere source of information on gift giving etiquette?" he drawled, picking idly at a stray dot of ink that had coagulated on the wooden tabletop. "It doesn't matterwhat we _said_. We're both still getting each other something. It's just- it's how it's done."

"Right...Well, you could always make him something," she suggested as she flipped through one of the reference books she was using.

"I'm hardly crafty."

The last time he'd _made _anyone anything had been his grandmother back when he was still a small child. And even then he'd thought it looked like utter trash.

"Bake him something? I'm sure Dobby would let you into the kitchens for a few hours."

"I don't bake. Or cook."

"There's got to be _something_ you're good at making."

"Unless he wants a cup of tea or a bowl of rice, I'm out of luck."

Hermione set aside her quill and closed her book in order to give him her undivided attention, however put upon she might've looked.

"Alright. You could...buy him a book? I'm sure there are some catalogues around in the library. You could have Madame Prince order away for you."

He thought for a moment, considering the idea. "Well...he _has _wanted a new book on plants from mountainous regions that thrive in humid conditions."

"That sounds wonderful," she said with a smile.

"It really doesn't, but your enthusiasm, however false, is appreciated."

"I don't know what to get Toshiro for Christmas."

They were walking down the lawns towards the pitch, Dean, Seamus and Harry ahead of them laughing. Seamus and Potter had apparently mended fences, even if it seemed to be mostly because Dean could be a stubborn bastard.

Ron frowned. "Didn't you just say you weren't going to do that this year?"

"Yes," he answered slowly, as if the answer was obvious. "But it was a _lie_. We're both going to get each other something, and I've got to figure out what."

"How do you kno—

"I just _do_," Neville said, frustrated. "It's how gift giving works. You both say you don't need anything; 'don't bother'. But you both get each other something anyway."

"If you ask me," Ron started, looking flabbergasted. "That's a lot more bloody complicated than—

"I need to figure out what to get him."

"An ice cube?" the redhead suggested cheekily. "A popsicle? A snowball?"

"That stopped being funny after the first year," Neville told him.

"I don't know. I think it's still got enough life in it for another year at least."

"It really doesn't."

"Everyone's a critic."

"You're really not helping."

"Well, I don't know," Ron shrugged. "Get him some new flavours of tea? That's all I ever see him have without looking like he's going to toss it all over the table."

"He doesn't really like pumpkin juice..."

"Yeah," the other teen laughed, almost tripping into a gofer hole. Neville grabbed his shoulder, helping to steady him. "I got that when he spat it right back into his cup."

"The gagging was sort of a clue I suppose."

"So get him some tea. He'll like that. Not exactly a picky bloke when it comes to gifts I bet. Probably not expecting much, anyway."

Neville heaved a sigh. "Well, I guess it'll just have to do."

"What about Luna?"

"...Bollocks."

* * *

Harry collapsed onto the couch in front of the fire, ignoring the glare Toshiro sent his way he as was almost unseated. Being outside in the cold for most of the day had left him achy and tired, the warmth of the common room burning his nose and ears. They'd called their game for dinner, but now that Ron and Hermione were busy decorating the castle, he was at a loose end.

"You could always go and help them if you're that bored," the white haired boy suggested as he calmly turned the page of the book he was reading.

"It's meant to only be the Prefects."

"Never thought you'd be one to follow the rules."

It wasn't so much about the rules as him not wanting to seem desperate or clingy. Which he wasn't. They'd both been busy lately with their duties, running back and forth between meetings and class and back again. It was the first time they'd done something that he couldn't be a part of and it'd be a lie to say it wasn't chaffing.

"Where's Neville?" Harry asked, not used to seeing one without the other.

"How should I know," Toshiro said absentmindedly. "He said he'd be back in time for the meeting."

It was going to be the last DA meeting before the Christmas Holiday and they'd planned a bit of a party. People were going to bring all the contraband food they could manage and they were going to crank up some music and have a great time once they finished practicing. It was sort of a depressing thought- everyone would be heading home on Saturday, Ron back to the Burrow, and Hermione to ski with her parents. Which just left him-

"Hey, what are you doing over the holidays?" he asked, looking over at the other Gryffindor curiously.

"That depends," Toshiro said. "What are _you _doing for the holidays?"

"Staying here."

"Then, I'm staying here."

"Oh God, you're stuck with _me _ over Christmas?" Harry groaned, feeling a bit sorry for him.

"I know. Woe is me. But alas, I shall just have to suffer through," the other smirked from behind his book.

"Might not be so bad," Harry told him, perking up a bit at the thought. "I mean, better the two of us than being all alone during the Holidays. Depressing situation, that is."

"If I normally celebrated Christmas I might feel the same, but regardless, I've resigned myself to being your talisman against loneliness."

"It'll be good," Harry told him assuredly. "A lot of the teachers stay too and there's a dinner for everyone. Can be a little odd, but it's still pretty fun."

"You don't need to convince me, Potter," Toshiro laughed as he turned a page. "I'm staying either way, but I appreciate the effort."

Harry shrugged off Toshiro's nonchalance. "Is your friend Ran staying too?"

"As a matter of fact, she is."

"Wouldn't mind getting to know her," Harry said hopefully.

Rumours about their 'relationship' were still a hot topic- well, when Toshiro wasn't around to hear. Apparently she was pretty popular; had managed to wrangle herself a group of friends that consisted of members of the older or more established families. Harry still wasn't sure what was going on between her and Toshiro, but he knew it had to be interesting.

"She feels the same about you, which is exactly why I'm never introducing you. Never the two shall twain. Individually, you're both a handful. Together? I might have to kill one of you," Toshiro said with a smile that promised very painful things.

Harry sighed as he slumped back into the couch. "Never mind."

"That's what I thought."

* * *

That night's practice went well, as it almost always did, but Harry was still struck by how quickly everyone was improving. They'd barely been able to form a cloud of mist when they'd first begun practicing their Patronuses, but now he had to watch his feet or he might just be knocked over by a stray dog, horse, or other animal at any given time.

Perhaps the most startling improvement was Neville, who only ever needed a quick-tip here and there to get the hang of whatever they were working on. At this point, Hermione was the only member able to master a spell more quickly, and Neville was giving her a run for her money. And it wasn't just his spell work that was improving, but also his confidence.

Dumbledore's Army had been meant to teach everyone to defend themselves, but Harry couldn't help but look at how everyone was coming out of their shells and making cross-house friendships and think that maybe the group was doing a lot of good in other ways too.

There were tables lining the walls, all of them covered in piles of candy, drinks, and baked goods that everyone had managed to scrounge up despite the tightening contraband rules that Umbridge and her annoying band of volunteers were enforcing. As practice began winding down people slowly began to gravitate towards the tables as drinks were passed out and music picked up from the corner. The entire room was decked in beautiful wreaths, trees, and garlands that sparkled in the torchlight. Harry was almost positive that he'd have never even thought to imagine anything so wonderful for the Room to summon. Whoever's mind that the decorations were spun from obviously had a flare for that sort of thing.

He couldn't help but smile as the room filled with laughter and conversation while he cleaned up some stray cushions. The fire was crackling in the hearth covered with stockings, casting warm light on the couches and chairs that had begun to appear around the area. He tossed a few onto one of the loveseats and went about shoving the rest into their normal places.

"What about you, Harry?" Cho called over to him from where she was standing with everyone congregated around a round table that had appeared in the centre of the room.

"What are your plans for the Holidays?"

Her hair was down today, and it shone in the candle light like silk. Even her eyes were sparkling. Harry felt his heart rate pick up until he was positive that she'd hear it and know that he was a complete fool, nervous just at the sound of her voice.

"W-Well," he stuttered nervously as he shut the cabinet doors. "Toshiro and I are staying here."

"Ron," Hermione suddenly snapped as the twins let out two identical groans, leaning over to smack their brother across the back of the head as Ginny sighed into her cup of butter beer.

"I forgot!" the redhead shouted defensively, ducking out from their reach. "Bloody hell, hitting me on the head isn't going to help me remember anything!"

"Blimey," Fred huffed as he tossed a chocolate at Ron. "Harry, I don't know how you put up with this idiot. You're supposed to come home with us for Christmas."

"Toshiro too," George picked up, leaving the white haired teen looking surprised. "Mum wrote a month ago about it."

Harry stared at them, stunned. Maybe in the back of his mind he'd hoped that he'd be invited. But he hadn't thought it would actually happen.

"I- uh. Forgot," Ron said sheepishly as he rubbed at the spot where his brothers had smacked him. "Sorry."

Harry grabbed himself a butter beer and made his way over to the group. "Well, better late than never, yeah?"

Ron grinned before subtly shoving him over towards where Cho was standing. "Go for it, mate," he hissed quietly, before turning back to Hermione.

Harry took a steadying breath and walked over to where she was waiting, a shy smile on her face as she tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

This might just be the greatest night of his year.

* * *

Toshiro lurched awake in the darkened dormitory, unsure of what had woken him. He blinked for a moment, the room spinning out around him. He tugged at the hem of the t-shirt he was wearing, pulling it over his head, and tossing it away onto the floor.

It felt like his skin was burning; it was as though the ice that had run through his veins since he'd woken up bathed in the white of Soul Society was melting. His lungs were tight and his tongue was coated with the taste of fire and ash. He could hear the snakes again, the ones that dogged him in his dreams- his nightmares; the sound of their hissing cresting and waning in his ears like waves, muffling whatever was going on around him.

Toshiro toppled out of bed his bed, relishing the grounding feeling of the cold stone floor against his skin as he laid there, trying to work up the will to climb to his feet. He tried to force himself up- could remember all the times his body had told him no, but he'd forced it to move anyway.

He'd never felt a weight like this- crushing- all consuming. There was a commotion coming from the other end of the room, but he could barely hear it over the rushing in his ears.

"What the hell's goin' on?" he asked, his voice sounding slurred even to him, as he tried to get up.

He couldn't remember ever having felt so sick; his heart was thundering in his chest, his stomach churning as he fought down the bile that rose in his throat, and all the while his lungs felt as though there was a band of iron wrapped around them.

His senses were going haywire, blaring in his head that something was wrong. He was freezing in a storm of white and grey- bleeding out in field, his soldiers fighting around him- staring into Aizen's face- falling from the sky- There were suddenly hands on his shoulders, sitting him up and leaning him against the bed. He couldn't- he couldn't pinpoint what was happening; couldn't track the movement of the others in the room with him.

"S'it a Hollow?" he asked whoever was attached to the hot hands now trying to pull him to his feet.

As soon as he said the words he knew he was wrong. No Hollow felt like this- this _wrong_. He could sense the dark aura in the air- he could practically feel the tainted spirit as if it were a physical force.

Someone was shaking him and Toshiro was startled to find Neville staring down at him. Words spilled from his mouth but all the taicho could hear were the snakes- all he could see were the slits in Neville's eyes- he could feel the scales against his skin.

He reached to his side for Hyorinmaru only to remember that he was hidden away in the trunk at the foot of the bed. There was a scream as the Zanpakuto took shape- people were shouting all around him, but he couldn't be sure about what. His focus was coming back, the droning in his ears beginning to fade as Hyorinmaru's weight settled in his hand. He shoved Neville behind him and spun around dizzily, trying to find the source of the aura, his vision blurring for a moment before it settled on Potter, sitting in his bed as he yelled at Ron about a snake and his father being attacked.

Toshiro scanned the room, taking in the scared faces of the others, the screaming having died down. Or maybe there'd never been any screaming at all. There wasn't any monster- There was only Potter, trembling and covered in his own vomit. Toshiro hesitated for a moment, eyes shifting to him as he took a step towards the bed, Hyorinmaru a familiar weight in his hand after having to hide him away for so long. He was complete; whole again, and now the answer to everything was lying at his feet.

_It was coming from Potter_.

Everything seemed to click in that moment- the dreams, the sickness, the odd feeling that something was off- it was all _Potter; _whatever he'd done to himself was leaching of out him and casting off an aura that was partially masked by the magic in the air.

Toshiro shoved Ron aside, the redhead yelping as he noticed the sword. "Holy shi- put that thing away! Merlin! You could kill someone!"

"That's the idea," he told him flatly.

Harry looked up at him and Toshiro saw something flash behind his green eyes. Something..._other_. He raised Hyorinmaru, frost collecting along the blade.

"What are you?"

The tip of his Zanpakuto came to rest on Potter's chest, ready to plunge through bone and muscle to reach the heart hidden beneath them.

Harry shook his head, terrified, but Toshiro wasn't fooled- could still see something; feel something; hiding inside him. Rotting him from the inside out like a plague upon his soul.

"I'm going to ask you again," he said calmly, pressing against Harry's clothed chest until blood began to bloom across his shirt.

"_What are you?"_

* * *

Dear Readers,

So yeah. This chapter was always meant to really be a bridge to that last scene, so it took awhile for me to be happy with how it all settled into place. The delay was pretty damn long, and I have university and a faulty laptop that has probably only been in the same province as me for two months over the past year. If anyone is still reading this, I'm very sorry! I've got the rest of this story mapped out, and most of Discontent- which is going to be a lot shorter than the first two instalments due to the nature of the structure I'm going to use. At least, that's what it seems like so far. Time will tell. Thanks for reading,

ForeverFalling.


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